Family Matters
by Francesca Monterone
Summary: Sequel to "Distant Closeness" / Pike didn't need to know that during that meeting, Spock had considered killing Carol Marcus seven different ways...
1. News

**Title:** Family Matters  
**Fandom:** Star Trek 2009  
**Genre:** Romance / Family  
**Pairing:** Christopher Pike & Leonard McCoy, Jim Kirk & Spock, (past) Jim Kirk & Carol Marcus  
**Rating: **K+  
**Summary:**  
_Sequel to "Distant Closeness". Take a somewhat grumpy, pretty hot doctor, his curious teenage daughter, a preoccupied admiral, his meddling sister, Starfleet's enfant terrible and a lovesick half-Vulcan. Stir well. Add a couple of ex-girlfriends, a chubby baby, a fretting Commodore, an orphaned Orion and an annoyed communications officer and watch the mixture explode..._

* * *

_I may be a thief, but I am an honest thief - so no, I don't own it. _

_As always, should you find any faults, please point them out. If you like it, tell me. If you don't like it, don't be upset and go eat some chocolate._

_Enjoy!_

_Francesca_

* * *

The afternoon was cast in velvety grey shadows and torrents of rain poured down from the sky's cloudy canopy. Admiral Christopher Pike stood near the window, staring outside without actually seeing much and trying to calm himself. It didn't work too well.

Patience was actually one of Chris' strong sides, and he wasn't exactly an easily excitable person (a fact that had a tendency to drive his somewhat more spirited lover nuts, but that was beside the point). Today, though, he was struggling to retain his composure.

He tore his gaze from the window to look at the framed pictures that decorated his office. Maybe it was a little old-fashioned, but Chris was fond of those pictures, and apart from them, his office was stark and impersonal. There were no plants, no paintings, no souvenirs from his voyages. Just the pictures.

The largest showed his last senior cadet class at the Academy; the class of whose three hundred and fourteen members two hundred and fifty-eight had fallen prey to the massacre ordered by Nero. Chris made a point of remembering their names, and that was why he kept the picture here, even though it hurt to look at it.

Apart from the large class picture, there were a number of smaller ones, showing his family. His sister, her husband and their three fairy-like blond daughters were smiling at him from a couple of frames. As always, there was a mischievous glint in Laurel's eyes, a frown of concern on Balder's face, friendly, yet solemn gazes from Malin an Elva, and laughter from Freya.

Obviously, there were pictures of Joana and Leonard, too. There was one of Joana on horseback, looking very pretty in her riding habit, a proud grin on her face as she held up a trophy she had just won for the school team. Another one showed both of them on the sofa, a cat in Joana's lap and a book in Leonard's, and both were smiling at the camera, quiet happiness almost radiating from their faces. Chris loved that picture.

The last picture showed the _Enterprise's_ command crew in full dress uniform. They all looked a little stiff, but quite impressive. Everyone except Jim wore an appropriately solemn expression. Everyone except Jim, who was smiling his trademark smile.

Jim. Chris' eyes remained fixed on that youthful, smiling face and he frowned.

_Why didn't you tell me?_

It had been a while since he had last seen his adopted son, which was due to the fact that Jim and the _Enterprise_ were out in space, chasing villains and exploring unchartered planets, while Chris was stuck to his office in San Francisco. But then, he wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

There had been a time when Chris had regretted having to leave space for a more sedentary life on Earth, but those times had long since passed. He was happy where he was.

Yet…

_Why didn't you tell me, Jim? Were you afraid of how I'd react? Maybe embarrassed? You're a fool, kid!_

He heard the soft steps long before the person behind him got close enough to reach out for him, but he didn't turn or start. It was pretty hard to sneak up on Chris, and he knew those steps, had heard them often enough to recognize them even when he was preoccupied or half asleep.

"You're brooding," a man's deep, somewhat amused voice sounded close to his ear as strong arms slid around him. Chris just lent back and enjoyed. Leonard was barely half a head taller than he himself, even though his broader built and resolute manner made him look a lot larger than he was. People who knew Chris – people outside his small, close-knit circle of family and intimate friends – probably would have rubbed their eyes had they seen the stern, steadfast Head of Starfleet Tactical like this. But then again, Leonard's shoulder was the first Chris had ever rested his head on, and it was and would be the only one.

"You came here to comment on my mood?" Chris asked, unable to resist a little teasing.

"Actually, no, I didn't. I came here to apologize for not making it in time for lunch. At the time we originally wanted to meet, I still literally had my hands stuck inside a patient's body and…"

"Spare me the details, please." Chris pulled a face. "I do admire your work, but sometimes I prefer to remain blissfully ignorant of the more gruesome aspects of it."

He felt Leonard's answering chuckle as much as he heard it, and it was deeply comforting. Much more so than staring into the rain, not knowing what to think or do.

"I take it that your patient wasn't entirely human?"

"No, he wasn't. He was at least humanoid, though. And that's something to say, when you work with Starfleet Medical's weird case team."

"They don't officially call you that, I suppose."

"No, those are actually Leyla's words. Fits, though, doesn't it?" Leonard made a small pause, before asking: "So, what did you _not_ want to tell me? Because I do get the distinct feeling that there's something bothering you."

Chris sighed. "I can't really hide anything from you, can I?"

"I happen to be married to you, so you _shouldn't_ hide anything from me," Leonard pointed out.

"Right," Chris sighed again, "And I don't want to, either. It's just… I'm not particularly happy with someone right now."

"Which is a very diplomatic way of saying that you're freakin' mad at someone. And I suspect I know him. Know him rather well, that is." Leonard let go of Chris and stepped around him to look at him. "What did he do this time?"

"That's just the thing. I'm not entirely sure he's done anything. It's just an odd feeling."

"Usually, when you have odd feelings about something, they turn out to be right. So… what does your odd feeling tell you about Jim?"

"It's that obvious, huh?"

Leonard rolled his eyes. "Since we rarely have trouble with Joana, and Laurel and Balder keep a pretty firm hand on their litter of puppies, that only leaves one kid. And he just so happens to be a well-known troublemaker."

Chris waved to the screen on his desk. "Take a look and tell me what you make of this."

As Leonard turned and stepped closer to the desk, Chris followed him. The screen displayed yet another picture. A chubby, blue-eyed baby's face met their gazes. There was something cherubic about the rosy-cheeked little boy with his gleaming blond hair and toothless grin.

"That's a cute kid," Leonard remarked, "So what about him?"

"Doesn't he remind you of anyone?" Chris asked. It really should have been obvious…

"He looks like he could be one of Laurel's lot, but for the eyes. But as he isn't… no, I don't think I know him. What's his name?"

"David Marcus."

"Doesn't ring a bell. Am I supposed to know him?"

"Not in person. You see, someone sent me this picture, saying that I should have a look at him."

"Someone?"

"Do you remember Peace Lafayette?"

"Your assistant for the Romulan mission? Yes, sure."

"Well, she's Commander Peace Lafayette of Space Station 5 now. Apparently, it's her job to deal with visitors to the station, so she meets a lot of people – which is just the thing she's good at. Anyway, she recently met this young woman – a scientist, and a rising star in her field, I'm told – and her child. That's the boy in the picture. Peace took a photo and sent it to me with just one sentence to go with it _Could be a baby picture of Jim, couldn't it?_"

Leonard bent forward to closely examine the picture once more. "Well… now that you mention it… I've never seen any baby pictures of Jim, but he must have looked something like that."

"I have, and he did. When I was researching for my thesis on the Kelvin Incident, I came across a picture of Winona Kirk and her infant son. Jim looked exactly like that."

"So what's the point? Peace saw the kid, thought it was a funny coincidence and sent the picture to you?"

"Maybe," Chris replied dubiously, "But quite frankly, I don't think so. I believe there's a message to go with it, and I don't like it."

Leonard straightened and looked at him. "You don't think…" He began, his face incredulous.

Chris shrugged. "In a really warped way, it would make sense, I suppose. I mean, we both know that Jim's been in bed with half of the Alpha Quadrant – the female half of it – and Carol Marcus is just about the right age. She's a couple of years older than him, actually, but when has that ever stopped Jim? She's pretty enough, and she'd fit into the pattern. And this little guy really does look an awfully lot like Jim. Judging from the picture, he's one and a half, maybe two."

"Chris, you can't be serious…! Surely Jim would have told us…!"

"You think so?" Chris asked quietly, looking at him intently. "I'm not so sure. Besides, there's another possibility – he might very well be oblivious to the boy's existence. Usually, when Jim breaks up with someone, they don't part as friends. Peace Lafayette is the rare exception, but they never had a serious relationship in the first place. Maybe Carol Marcus didn't want him to know."

"If that really is his child," Leonard said, frowning.

"Well either way, I'm going to try and find out more about the entire matter."

"Are you planning on asking him?"

Chris shook his head. "No. Not yet, anyways. But if it turns out that David Marcus is his son and he knew about it…" He didn't need to finish the sentence. Leonard nodded grimly.

"So what now?"

"I'll have Peace ask Carol Marcus a couple of discreet questions… and I'd like you to check the child's medical records. His mother is working in space and keeping him with her, so he's probably had his vaccinations done at a Starfleet facility. And that means that we have medical records on him."

"There won't be a DNA profile on file, though. They wouldn't have run DNA unless they had a reason to do so. And with a healthy child of just two years, there wouldn't be a reason for it."

"True. But usually, medical records contain some of the parents' medical history. Maybe Carol Marcus mentioned his father."

"If she doesn't want anyone to know, that's highly unlikely."

"Okay, maybe there's something else that could give us a clue. Jim's got heaps of allergies. Wouldn't the child have some of those, too?"

"Most of Jim's allergies were caused by an assortment of environmental and psychological factors, not genetic causes. And even if the boy had those allergies, it'd still be inconclusive. Lots of people have allergies. I think you're going at this the wrong way. Start with the mother. If Jim's never met her , then the child can hardly be his."

"She'd get suspicious, if we asked her about him."

"Don't ask her. Or him. Ask Spock."

"Spock?"

"If anyone is keeping track of the women Jim is seeing, it'd be Spock. And you know what they say about love's jealous eyes. Besides, he's got an excellent memory."

"Spock doesn't love Jim that way," Chris protested.

"Doesn't he? How can you be so sure? No one knows what goes on behind those raised eyebrows. But even if it's only brotherly affection, Spock's always been jealous. Hell, he even used to be jealous of _me_, and he knew that I'd rather have climbed into bed with an angry Klingon than with Jim. So if Jim's been seeing Carol Marcus, Spock would know about it."

"Not if they met during shoreleave."

"Spock knows of Peace, too."

"That's because he was there. If I remember correctly, you even suspected them of having a threesome." Chris raised his brows, shooting his husband an amused look.

"I'm still not entirely convinced they didn't. Anyway, Spock's pretty well informed about Jim's love life. Ask him. He probably won't even mind the question, since it's coming from you. You're Jim's adoptive father, and from Spock's point of perspective, that should give you reason enough to ask."


	2. Vulcan Perspective

"_Liebe kennt der allein, der ohne Hoffnung liebt"_

_(__Love is only known by him who hopelessly persists in love.)_

– _Friedrich Schiller, "Don Carlos" -_

_

* * *

_

In the lab, the Science alpha shift was running routine tests on the soil samples taken from various places on the southern continent of Bernaidh, an uninhabited planet in a star system that had originally been discovered by the Vulcans, but had been abandoned by their researchers after the destruction of their home planet.

Bernaidh wasn't gifted with outstanding natural beauty or a very diverse ecosystem, but at least it had water, arable land and an atmosphere similar enough to Earth's to allow most known humanoid species to breathe freely; and in the eyes of Starfleet Command, that made it worthy of further exploration.

So far, the tests results had been favorable, and Commander Spock had little doubt that he and his team would be able to deliver a very satisfactory preliminary report.

Spock bent over a rack of test tubes, checking the process of his experiment. Everything was going according to plan. The sample on the very right contained high amounts of iron, but he had already been able to tell that from the telltale reddish-brown color. So nothing new there.

By now, a human would probably have gotten bored by the distinct lack of exciting or even surprising findings, but luckily, Spock wasn't human. Or at least, not entirely.

He checked on a few of his team members, who were working diligently, but without any real enthusiasm, then decided that it was probably time for a visit to the bridge. His captain had a tendency to grow bored even faster than other members of his species, and a bored Jim was a danger to the universe itself. Sitting in the captain's chair, watching the away team down on the planet collect geological and biological samples and categorize plants wasn't very exciting, so Spock reckoned that he probably should make sure Jim didn't get any stupid ideas.

Admiral Pike had given Spock some very specific orders regarding Jim, and left him in no doubt that he expected the Vulcan first officer to keep his human captain out of trouble. Spock didn't fear Pike, but he respected him and he knew Jim well enough to know that he really did require careful supervision.

He also knew that Pike cared about Jim. A lot.

It was a strange little patchwork family that had formed around the _Enterprise's _former Captain, but apparently, it made all of them very happy. Christopher Pike regarded Jim as his son, just as he regarded Joana McCoy as his daughter. Jim thought of Joana as his sister. As for Leonard McCoy – he was Joana's father and Christopher's husband, but his relationship with Jim was a little more complex. They were best friends, obviously. Due to the age difference, though, Jim thought of Leonard as something of an older brother.

It was a unique concept, but it worked. Spock sometimes went to see them when he was on shoreleave, and he was always welcomed warmly and with laughter. Their happiness never failed to make him feel a pang of jealousy and a soft sting of regret.

He missed having a family. Maybe it was his human blood talking, but watching them together made him feel left out and lonely.

He knew that it was a longing that wouldn't be fulfilled anytime soon, and quite probably, wouldn't be fulfilled at all. Not now. Not ever. Spock wasn't Vulcan enough to be satisfied with a life among the other survivors in the colony, rebuilding their race and their culture, like his alter ego did. On the other hand, he wasn't human enough to content himself with finding a lover, getting married and raising a bunch of noisy human children, either. Besides, there was the trouble with finding a suitable partner. Spock had made some tentative attempts, the last of which had led him to Nyota Uhura, who was brilliant, beautiful, and absolutely perfect in a very human way, but regretfully, not perfect for _him_. Spock doubted that any human partner would suffice. And even if there should be such a rare creature – why in the world would anyone put up with a half-Vulcan with serious identity issues and a very troubled past that haunted him every waking moment?

There were some people, who didn't seem to mind. For the first time in his life, Spock actually had friends, who really cared about him, and not just because of his intellectual greatness. They admired him for more than his intelligence; they had actually taken a close look at his character and decided that they liked what they had seen.

Christopher Pike was one of them, and Leonard McCoy was another. There was also Nyota, who didn't hold a grudge, because their relationship hadn't worked out and who had always been supportive and understanding.

And then there was Jim.

Jim.

There wasn't a word in any of the languages Spock knew to properly describe their relationship. It was a close friendship, and yet it was more than that. There was a special bond gradually growing between them and getting stronger by the day, and quite frankly, whatever that thing was, it scared Spock. He instinctively knew that something just wasn't right.

He had contemplated asking his father about it, but Amanda's death had estranged Sarek and Spock even more (if that was even possible), and asking his older self somehow felt like cheating.

So Spock was left alone with his hopes, and fears and worries.

* * *

Due to his position as first officer of the Federation's flagship, receiving a call from the Head of Starfleet Tactical wasn't particularly surprising to Spock.

What surprised him, though, was the fact that Admiral Pike called to discuss private rather than professional matters.

Spock had no trouble with the concept of small talk; he recognized it as an efficient way to prevent hostilities between opposing parties, to comfort nervous or distraught members of humanoid species and to lay the foundations for conversations on more serious matters, especially during diplomatic negotiations.

Christopher Pike, however, was not a hostile party, didn't seem to be in any need of comforting and had forfeited the opportunity of a diplomatic career in favor of Leonard and Starfleet Tactical. Therefore, small talk was completely and utterly pointless.

However, Spock had been raised by one of Vulcan's most distinguished diplomats and a woman who had shown enough interracial tolerance to marry outside her own species; so he politely answered Pike's questions after his health, the mission, his crewmates and life aboard the _Enterprise_.

"I trust that Leonard and Joana are well?" He asked. It was a pointless question – if either of them hadn't been well, Pike wouldn't have been talking to him right now.

"Never been better. Now, be honest with me - is Bernaidh already boring you to death, Spock?"

"I'm not Jim, Admiral," Spock reminded him gently.

A brief smile flickered across Pike's face, before it grew sober once again. "Indeed."

"Are you calling me about him?" Spock asked, his eyebrow going up.

_Interesting…_

"No, not exactly. I happen to know that my son is tolerably well and I trust that you'll keep him out of trouble. I'm calling to ask you a question." Pike was frowning now. Something was on his mind, and it was bothering him. Spock idly wondered what it could be and how it was related to Jim.

"Regarding?"

"Carol Marcus. Do you know her?"

The eyebrow moved another half inch. But there was no point denying it. "Yes, I met her briefly."

Pike didn't need to know that during that meeting, Spock had considered killing Carol Marcus seven different ways. He also didn't need to know the reason for this sudden bout of bloodlust.

"Was she with Jim when you met her?"

_Ah. So he __**does**__ know._

"Yes."

Pike's frown deepened and somehow it gave Spock a certain sense of satisfaction that the Admiral didn't seem too pleased about his son's relationship with the blond scientist, either.

"They are not in a relationship anymore," Spock remarked. _Luckily for her…_

"I already guessed that. But they were involved somehow, weren't they? Can you tell me how long ago they parted?"

"Two years, one month and seventeen days ago," Spock replied.

"Accurate as always," Pike murmured.

_Obviously. But in this case, I had another reason to remember the exact day._

"And they haven't been in contact since?"

"Not to my knowledge." _And trust me, I __**would**__ know…_

"Thank you very much, Spock."

"Are you going to tell me what instigated this sudden interest in Carol Marcus?" Spock asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

Pike looked at him for a moment, appearing to contemplate whether to offer the truth or a polite lie. "If you can keep it to yourself, I might."

"Do you not trust me, Admiral?"

"In all matters, except those regarding Jim. You're biased when it comes to him."

"And you aren't?"

"Touché. I'm his father, though. I think that gives me a pretty good excuse for being biased. What's yours?"

"Friendship, Admiral."

"Really…?" Pike asked, a strange inflection in his voice. "Very well, Spock but I must ask you not to tell him. Not yet, at least. Carol Marcus appears to be the mother of a charming little boy with incredibly blue eyes, and I'm sort of wondering whether that's a coincidence."

If Spock had ever been more startled than now, he didn't remember it.

"You believe…"

"I don't know what to believe, Spock. I just know that little David bears a suspicious resemblance to a certain someone we both know, and I'd really love to know more about the matter. And quite possibly, hang Jim from his ankles if he's known about this all along."

_Join the club. Even though __**I**__ would extend the same kindness to the woman._

"I suppose you cannot very well have the paternity tested without the mother's consent?"

"I'm working on getting around that. Sometimes, being married to a doctor can be quite useful."

_Ah yes. I forgot Leonard. He would have access to data we do not have…_

"What will you do if you are proven right?"

Pike shrugged. "I'll probably seek out Carol Marcus, welcome my grandson to the family and have a very long, very stern talk with my son. But currently, I'm still hoping to be proven wrong."

_I share that hope. Fervently._

"Is there anything else I could help you with, Admiral?"

"Not for the moment, Spock. Just remember to keep it quiet."

Spock nodded. Oh yes, he would. He also knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep or meditate tonight, not with thoughts of Carol Marcus and her blond, blue-eyed child haunting his mind.


	3. Curiosity

"_There are secrets in all families."_

– _Jane Austen, Emma –_

_

* * *

_

"He's met her."

Leonard looked up from his paperwork, meeting his husband's troubled grey eyes. Chris didn't look happy at all.

"Who has?" But he already knew the answer.

"Jim did know Carol Marcus. Spock just confirmed it."

"And I suppose that's _'know' _in the biblical sense," Leonard muttered.

"I am afraid so."

"Damn. Doesn't mean the kid is his, though."

"No, but it's starting to look more and more likely." Chris sighed and settled down in the chair across from him. Leonard watched him, thinking that he'd make Jim pay dearly for adding new creases and wrinkles to that beloved face.

"Tell me again why we're even bothering with that screwed up kid…?" He said with a wry smile.

"I don't know," Chris replied, brushing a hand trough his silvery hair. "Maybe because no one else does. Except Spock, that is. You know, I'm starting to believe you're right."

"About Spock and Jim? Told you so."

"I don't think he knows, though."

Leonard raised his brows. "It's quite obvious. But then, if I were Spock, I'd probably be in denial, too. It's just too disconcerting to admit that you're in love with your captain, who just happens to be a complete idiot sometimes."

"More disconcerting than admitting that you're in love with your doctor?" Chris asked with a little smile playing around the edges of his mouth.

"You never actually admitted that until I wasn't your doctor anymore and Jim forced you to do so by pretending I had died."

"I'm very glad I did, though," Chris replied quietly, tenderness clearly audible in his voice.

"Yeah, me too. I doubt Spock would be happy, though. You didn't tell him about the child, did you?"

"It didn't seem fair to leave him in the dark. He won't tell Jim."

"That would be a bit weird, wouldn't it? Telling the guy you're in love with that his father suspects him of having an illegitimate child running around the galaxy. By the way – the thought just occurred to me – how do we know that there's only one?"

"Don't meet trouble halfway, Leonard!" Chris couldn't keep the shock from his voice.

Leonard chuckled.

"It's not funny!"

"You should see your face. And before you ask – yes, I did give Jimmy-boy the safer sex lecture. Several times actually."

"You think it worked?"

"Hell, no. But anyway, I doubt that there's more than one miniature copy of Jim running around. Most mothers wouldn't deny their children the knowledge of who their father is. Especially, when said father happens to be a Starfleet hero and very well able to pay child support."

"You've got a point there." Chris sighed. "But one child is enough already. I fear there's no way around meeting Carol Marcus in person and asking her about the boy."

"Has Peace gotten back to you yet?"

Chris nodded grimly. "Yes. She says that Carol Marcus has left the station."

* * *

While her father and step-father were worrying about a little boy who might or might not have been her nephew, Joana McCoy was spending the day at her _'aunt'_ Laurel's house and enjoying herself enormously.

Laurel and her husband Balder had three daughters; Malin, who was nineteen, Elva who was almost seventeen and eight-year old Freya. Joana was friends with all three of them, even though she liked Elva best. Right now, she, Elva and Freya were sitting on Elva's bet, chatting and giggling.

"So Malin is really seeing Laurie? As in _dating her_?" Joana asked.

"Yep," Freya replied. "I _saw_ them. They were out in the garden, hiding behind the hedge and _kissing_."

"Uh, no way!"

"It's true," Elva confirmed her little sister's statement. "They really are in love with each other."

"Do your parents know?"

Freya shook her head emphatically, one of her ponytails hitting Elva in the face.

"Ouch! Be careful!"

"You think they'd mind?" Joana asked.

"No. Malin is old enough to have a girlfriend, even Dad would agree to that. I don't know about Laurie's parents, though. Admiral Reed is pretty strict. I think he wants her to concentrate on her studies, rather than stay out late with Malin."

"She's of age, though, isn't she? She can do what she wants."

"Yes, but she cares about her father. She wouldn't want him to get upset. She's a really nice girl, I met her two weeks ago, when we went out with her and Malin to have ice cream."

"She's all serious, though," Freya cut in. "She never jokes or laughs out loud."

"Some people are that way, Freya," Elva said seriously, "she's still nice, though."

* * *

"I'm hoooome!" Joana shouted, as soon as she had entered the house. The door banged shut behind her.

"Yes, we all noticed that," Chris replied dryly as he emerged from the kitchen, still holding half a tomato in his left hand.

Joana threw herself at him, hugging him. He briefly put his free arm around her.

"Did you have a good time at Laurel's?"

Joana nodded, following him into the kitchen, where he put down the tomato.

"Did you know that Malin has a girlfriend?" She blurted out.

"No, I didn't. And I bet you weren't supposed to tell me either." He winked at her.

Joana pulled a face. "I don't see why it should be kept a secret. I mean, it's nice, isn't it? It'll probably make Malin very happy, so we should all be happy for her."

"You're probably right, but maybe Malin just doesn't want everybody to know yet. Do I know the girl?"

"Yes. It's Laurie."

"Laurie Reed? Well now, that's a surprise. She's a nice enough girl, though. And very pretty."

"Elva said that, too. Well, not that she was pretty, but the being-nice-part." Joana paused for a moment, watching Chris cut tomatoes into very accurate slices. "What do girls do when they're together?" She then asked thoughtfully.

Chris shrugged. "Why are you asking me that, I'm not a girl. You tell me what you do with your friends. I suppose, there's a lot of giggling involved in whatever it is, though."

"No, I don't mean with friends. I mean, when they are dating."

"Probably what everybody else does – they meet and spend time together."

"You're deliberately evading my question, aren't you?"

Chris turned around to face her, threatening her with his knife. "And you are too smart for your own good, princess. But yes, I _am_ evading your question."

"Why?"

"Because you are thirteen years old and Leonard already gave you the birds and bees talk. Other than that, there's nothing you need to know for now. Besides, I really am the wrong person to ask, since I've never dated a girl myself."

"Not even when you were a boy?"

"Not even then, no. My suggestion would be to ask Laurie and Malin, if you're really that interested. But you should be prepared to run very fast, because they might not appreciate your curiosity."

"I've got a better idea – I'll ask Dad. He's a doctor, he should know." Joana was beaming up at him.

Chris laughed. "You do that. I'd love to see his face."

* * *

"Did you put her up to this?" Leonard asked accusingly, when he entered their bedroom that night.

Chris looked up from his book, blinking innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yeah you do! I've just had the most embarrassing conversation of my life with my daughter!"

"Ah. So she _did_ ask you."

"You bet. It was horrible."

"She's curious, Leonard."

"She's thirteen. What was I supposed to say?"

"I'm sure you found the right words," Chris replied, barely able to contain his laughter now.

"I tried. But you know Joana; she isn't satisfied with general explanations. She wanted specifics. I'm fine with giving my daughter an anatomy lesson, but I'm not fine with going into vivid detail on lesbian sexual activities."

Chris gave up and positively doubled over with laughter.

"You think that's funny?" Leonard growled.

"I think it's hilarious."

"Well think again," Leonard replied, pouncing on him. The resulting struggle sent Chris' book sailing to the floor, where it remained, temporarily forgotten.

"I hate you," Leonard panted, staring down at Chris, who was trying to wriggle out from underneath him.

"Liar," Chris chuckled, before reaching up to burry a hand in Leonard's dark hair and pulling him down for a deep kiss.


	4. Paternity Issues

"_Fathers should be neither seen nor heard. That is the only proper basis for family life."_

– _Oscar Wilde, "An Ideal Husband" -_

_

* * *

_

Carol Marcus didn't like to be interrupted while she was working, and no one in his right mind would have dared to disturb her, unless something truly urgent had come up. Her co-workers knew her dedication to her science, and they also knew and feared her temper.

The dark haired young woman who had just thrown open the door to the lab apparently didn't know. Carol decided that it was time to educate her.

The woman's face seemed oddly familiar, but Carol didn't remember seeing her in any of the staff meetings she had attended since returning to the Boyson Institute of Interstellar Evolutionary Biology two weeks ago. Carol had been accompanying one of her professors on a field trip, and it seemed to her that she had seen this woman during the trip. But that wasn't possible, right?

In any case, this person either had some very important news – and in that case, Carol wanted to know them _pronto_ – or she had no business here.

"Who are you?"

The woman smiled. She was pretty, Carol noted, pretty in a fragile-looking, exotic way that almost made her lovely. One more reason not to like her. Carol had no patience for spoilt beauty-queens who thought they could win the whole world just by smiling at people.

"Commander Peace Renée Lafayette."

Carol raised her brows. It was an odd name – really, who named their child _Peace_? – and now she remembered where she had met this woman.

"We… talked. During dinner. On the station."

Peace Lafayette beamed at her. "So you do remember me. Wonderful! Did you and your son get here alright?"

_Oh that's right, she also met David. Seemed very interested in him. But then, who doesn't like blond, blue-eyed babies?_

"Yes, thank you." Carol could barely contain her impatience now. "What can I help you with?"

Peace was still smiling, but the look in her eyes changed from bubbly friendliness to avid anticipation. Carol did not miss it and she did not like that look at all.

"You could tell me the name of David's father."

"Why, you're thinking of having a child yourself and looking for a sperm donor?" Carol asked sarcastically.

_How dare she…?_

"He's gorgeous, that's true, and I'd love to have such a cute baby, but I think I'll put that off just a little while. No. I'm asking you, because someone else asked me, and he has been very insistent that I find out that name."

"Why in the world would anyone you know know about David and be interested in his paternity?"

_Something weird is going on here and I have to protect David from it. Maybe I should just come up with a convincing lie._

"It's nothing to be afraid of. I sent him the picture, because David looked so familiar. He thought so, too, so now we're wondering about the identity of David's father."

"Who is _he_?"

"Admiral Christopher Pike."

_The name sounds familiar, but I've never met him, so why would he be interested in David?_

"I don't know him and can assure you that I've never slept with him, if that's what you're wondering about," Carol said defensively.

Peace chuckled softly. "I already figured that out, considering that Admiral Pike is both gay and married. It's his son we were wondering about. Jim Kirk – well, actually Captain James Tiberius Kirk. Ever heard of him?"

_Ah, shit. I knew this would come back to haunt me some time or other._

Carol tried her best to look innocent. "Of course, who hasn't? He is Captain of the _Enterprise_ and he and his crew saved Earth in the _Narada_ Incident. He is said to be a very attractive man and quite the womanizer."

"So you've never met him in person?"

Again, Carol tried to feign wide-eyed innocence. "I've only been in space a couple of times so far and I've never travelled on a ship like the _Enterprise_. I'd love to, though. But unlike you, Commander, I don't get to meet Starfleet captains every day of my life. I stick to labs and academic grounds. I'm a scientist."

_And hopefully a good liar…_

"Sure," Peace almost purred, the sound causing a shiver to run down Carol's spine. "And you would certainly remember if you'd ever met him, wouldn't you?"

"Listen, I don't care if you think I'm a slut, because I've got a child and no father to go with it, but no matter what you believe, I'm not sleeping around so much that I can't remember all the men I've been with. I remember them quite clearly. Most of them turned out to be complete assholes. Including David's father."

"Men can be like that sometimes," Peace agreed with her, "and I'm sorry if I upset you. But I'd still like to get that name. It's very important to Admiral Pike and his family."

_I wonder why, now._

"Peter Torell. He was a research assistant of one of my professors. And an idiot."

… _who conveniently died about a year ago after he blew up an experiment with a highly infectious virus._

"Very well, thank you." Peace nodded; apparently satisfied, and Carol let out the breath she had been holding. "It was nice seeing you again."

_I really can't say the same for you. Now get out of my lab!_

"Have a nice day, Commander."

* * *

Chris was on his way to a lunch date with his old friend, Commodore Rebekka Roseleaf, when Peace called to inform him of her findings.

"So this Peter Torell is the father of little David?"

"So she claims."

"You don't believe her?"

Peace snorted in a very un-ladylike manner. "I'd say Commander Spock is a much more trustworthy source than she is."

"How did you find her, anyway? I thought you had said she'd left the station?"

"She's back on Earth. It wasn't that hard to track her down. You owe me dinner for coming here and having to deal with an obnoxious, unfriendly scientist, though."

Chris grinned. "Very well, then. We'll be expecting you tonight at eight."

"I'll be there," Peace promised.

* * *

Rebekka's office was in a considerable state of disarray, when Chris entered it; and the Commodore herself was red faced, her hair all messed up and her dark eyes blazing.

"Is Frank hiding beneath your desk and do you want me to come back later, so you can finish beating him up?" Chris asked cheerfully, referring to Rebekka's stormy relationship with her husband.

"Oh, it's you, Chris. Sorry for the mess. No, Frank is still on that mission to New Vulcan, hopefully doing his job and being a good little boy. I'll find out when he comes back."

"Then why are you so upset?"

"I just spent half an hour screaming at one of my inferiors for being one of the most stupid, incompetent people I've ever met. That guy messed up big time, and it'll be up to me to make amends, if it is not already too late. I wish I had known sooner! I'm going to fire him!"

"Better have him sent to some god-forsaken outpost where he can cause no harm and will die of boredom within a year or two." Chris suggested. "What did he do?"

"Do you remember Gaila?"

"From my last cadet class? Sure. She was one of the very few Orion students who ever made it all the way through the Academy. She was assigned to the _Farragut_ and died when Nero attacked them." Chris frowned. "Such a shame, really. She was a nice girl, an excellent engineering student and her people would've been so proud of her. It's rare for an Orion to have a successful career with Starfleet."

"Which is a nice way of saying that they usually are either completely abandoned to pleasure, or that they have to spend their life on pheromone-suppressing drugs in order to not get assaulted by members of other humanoid species at every possible opportunity. As far as I know, Gaila chose the happy medium and it worked pretty well for her. Now for the interesting part – did you know she had a daughter?"

Chris shook his head in surprise. "No. There was nothing in her files."

"Not in her Academy files, but sure enough in her medical records. And someone should have picked up on it when she died, because that child would have been Starfleet's responsibility after her mother had been killed defending Earth. Unfortunately enough, my hordes of bureaucrats missed it."

"What happened to the child?"

"Gaila left her with her mother when she came to the Academy to study. Said mother died of a stroke – or the Orion equivalent of it – two years ago."

"And the child?" Chris asked, alarmed.

"What do you suppose happens to an orphaned Orion who has no one to protect her and is just about to hit puberty? Don't answer that question, because we both know the answer. Traders snatched her up and sold her. Female Orions are a valuable commodity in some parts of the universe. She turned up two weeks ago, as a survivor of an outbreak of the Modlari Virus in one of the seedier parts of Geltsun Colony. An attentive Lieutenant, who had been a student a year below Gaila had the grace to ask for her parents and contacted us."

Rebekka angrily crumpled a sheet between her fingers. "Dammit. We're responsible for making this girl's life absolutely miserable. She was a slave, Chris, and God knows what else. And we should have taken care of her after her mother's death. She was Starfleet's responsibility. First we got her Mom killed, and then we completely forgot about her."

"It's not your fault, Becky," Chris said quietly, "But I agree with you, you should do something nasty to the guy who overlooked that. Maybe send him to Delta Vega. But first, someone needs to take care of the girl. What's her name?"

"Delia. She's already on her way to Earth. I want her in Medical, I want the best doctors and a specialized therapist to take care of her, and I want to try and find her relatives, if she has any. It's the least I can do."

"What about the father?"

Rebekka shrugged, still looking angry. "With Gaila's record, it could be just about anyone. We're not even sure what species he belonged to, there wasn't any time for extensive testing yet. Probably Vulcan or Romulan, though."

"Vulcan? That's hard to imagine."

"Just as hard as Romulan. Romulans are notoriously xenophobic. But she's got very pretty pointed ears, and she's to have gotten them from somewhere. They are neither an Orion nor a human trait, after all." Rebekka sighed, shaking her head. "Sometimes, I just hate my job."

* * *

_A note on Carol Marcus and her role in this story: Actually, I've never really liked her, but I think she's a pretty interesting character. And I was so upset when David died in the original version! So I decided to give them a second chance in the alternate timeline_. _If you're wondering about yet another child popping up out of nowhere, blame my teachers - all those lessons on international adoption and family law were bound to affect me in some way. Illegitimate children add a little spice to every story... and I really wanted to have a little green girl in this one..._


	5. Delia

_- "The earth is a beehive; we all enter by the same door but live in different cells." -_

_African proverb_

_

* * *

_

"Commodore Roseleaf, Admiral Pike. Come to see my newest patient?" Dr. Leila Maliki greeted them when they entered her office at Starfleet Medical. "That' s a lot of attention for one little girl. But then, she's a special case, isn't she?"

Rebekka nodded, looking displeased. "I still don't know which urge is stronger right now - to cry or to yell at somebody. We completely overlooked her existence!"

"Well, her mother didn't exactly volunteer the information, did she?" Dr. Maliki replied. "In any case, the damage is done, and all we can do is to try and make sure that Delia's future will be brighter than her past."

"I am going to personally take care of that," Rebekka promised.

"There is no need for you to feel guilty about it," Dr. Maliki tried to comfort her.

"Maybe not, but I feel responsible for her."

"Huh." The doctor looked at Chris. "And I am guessing, so do you?"

"Gaila was my student."

"So were a few hundred others."

"She died defending Earth and the Federation."

"Along with most of her class."

"That's true, but it doesn't make her death any less tragic or meaningful."

"And you're still feeling guilty about it," Dr. Maliki stated, sighing. "You know, actually I'm wondering why Leonard isn't here, too. He'd make this little gathering of people, who feel guilty about things they didn't do and responsible for people who aren't their responsibility, complete."

"Your point being?" Rebekka asked, sounding faintly annoyed.

"That you guys are just a little too good for this big, bad and ugly world." She shook her head. "But come along, I'll introduce you to our pointy-eared princess."

"Princess?" Rebekka asked, raising her brows.

"Well, she's gorgeous and she behaves like one. I've never met a confused, scared fourteen-year-old who carried herself with so much dignity. The mixture of Vulcan and Orion heritage produces some pretty interesting results."

"So she _is_ part Vulcan?" Chris asked.

"Oddly enough, yes, she is. Which is a little tragedy in itself; because it means that the odds for her father still being alive are… well, not too good."

"He probably wouldn't have acknowledged her existence."

Leila Maliki shrugged. "Who knows. I've never heard of a Vulcan having a child with an Orion before. It must have been a somewhat special relationship. And the result of the relationship is pretty remarkable, too. I'll show you to her room."

* * *

The room that had been chosen for Delia, was large and sunny, the walls painted in a pale yellow that made everything look bright and friendly. There were flowers, books, stuffed animals, toys. It was, in short, a room furnished for a child, but the girl resting on the sofa by the large windows didn't look very childlike at all.

She was dressed in a navy skirt and light-blue shirt with matching shoes. Somebody had taken pains to make sure the clothes were exactly her size and they were neat and pretty enough, but it wouldn't have mattered. Delia would probably have looked exotic and fairy-like in rags. She had sleek, gleaming black hair that came down to her waist and flowed along with her movements like a living thing. Her eyes were large, deep-brown and overshadowed by long dark lashes, her eyebrows slightly slanted and her lips perfectly curved and full. The one ear that was visible looked distinctly too pointy for an Orion and her skin was a paler green than her mothers had been.

She lifted her head when they entered, measuring them with an inquisitive gaze, but not getting up. Letting them come to _her_. Dr. Maliki was right. There was something stately in her bearing.

"Delia, I have brought you visitors," the doctor said, slowly approaching her patient. "Please meet Commodore Rebekka Roseleaf and Admiral Christopher Pike."

The girl studied them intently for another minute, then rose gracefully and stood to greet them.

"I am pleased to meet you."

It sounded… indifferent. Maybe even slightly arrogant. In any case, there was neither insecurity nor hesitation in her voice.

"How are you feeling, Delia?" Rebekka asked carefully.

"Fine. What will happen to me now?"

"Well, we are trying to find your mother's relatives, but it may take some time."

Delia shook her head. "They won't take me."

"Excuse me?" Rebekka said, looking startled.

Delia fixed her with an almost hostile gaze, then pointed to her ears. "I'm a half-breed. Grandmother took me in because Mom begged her to take care of me, but the others never made a secret of the fact that they don't want me. I'm different. People are scared of people who are different."

She managed to keep her voice even, but Chris caught the flicker of anger mixed with loneliness when she said it.

"Starfleet will take care of you, Delia," Rebekka promised, sounding a little helpless, "Even if your family really refuses to take you in."

"Like it took care of my mother?" Delia replied bitterly. "She's dead, in case you hadn't noticed."

_What do you reply to that…? She's right, we let Gaila get killed, and we abandoned her daughter…! _Chris thought.

He turned to Delia. "Your mother was a remarkable woman, Delia, and her death was a great loss. And I understand that you are angry and sad because she had to die that way. I am sure you miss her very much."

Delia turned her beautiful eyes from Rebekka to him. "Yes," she replied, sounding apprehensive. "But why should that concern you?"

"Because I knew her personally," Chris replied.

Delia raised a slanted eyebrow in a look that reminded Chris forcibly of Spock at his most indignant. "You mean, you slept with her," she replied accusingly.

Rebekka hid a chocked sound of disbelieving laughter behind a cough. Leila Maliki frowned to cover her grin.

"Er… no, not really," Chris replied. "Your mother was my student."

"So?" Delia shrugged. "Things like that happen all the time. And human men treat Orion women like prostitutes."

"Not this one," Dr. Maliki said, fighting to keep a straight face. "I can vouch for Chris. I am sure that he always treated your mother honorably and appropriately. Particularly, since he isn't interested in women to begin with."

Chris cast her a disapproving look. He did not mind his sexual orientation being discussed in public, but certainly not with a teenage girl…?

Leila shrugged. "She's seen it all, Chris. You can't treat her like a normal child."

Delia was looking at Chris with renewed interest. "So you never even felt attracted to her?" She asked, as if that was hard to belief.

"No, but I am sure that she was a very attractive woman, so please don't take it personally," Chris replied with a small smile.

To his surprise, Delia answered the smile, if only briefly. "I think I like you," she stated. All three adults were now looking at her with varying degrees of astonishment. Delia pointed to the sofa. "You could sit down and tell me about my mother," she suggested and there was something pleading in her look.

Chris felt sorry for her. Despite her somewhat imperious manner, deep down, she was only a sad and frightened child.

"Certainly," he replied.

* * *

Chris stayed over two hours, telling Delia everything he knew about Gaila and her time at Starfleet Academy. Gradually, the girl's manner grew less reserved and she bombarded him with questions, first about her mother, whom she had last seen as a seven-year-old, but also about himself and his family.

"So you have children?" She inquired.

"A son and a daughter," he replied.

"Do they look like you?" Delia asked. "Mom used to say that I look like my father."

_And I bet you do, because there is something distinctly Vulcan about you_, Chris thought.

"No, not really. But then, Jim is my adopted son and Joana is my stepdaughter."

"Adopted?" Delia asked, looking confused.

"Meaning that he isn't my biological son. His real father died a long time ago. He is all grown-up by now, but sometimes even grown men need a father's advice."

"And because his father isn't there anymore, you take care of him?"

"Well… more or less, yes."

Delia's eyes lit up. "That is so nice!" She said warmly. "And your daughter? If she is your stepdaughter, then she's not really your child, either, is she?"

"Technically, she is my husband's child. But she is like a child to me. It makes no difference that we are not blood-related."

"I really envy her," Delia said longingly. "How old is she?"

"About your age. If you'd like to, you could meet her one of these days."

Delia pondered that for a moment, looking thoughtful. Then her face lit up. "Yes, I think I would like that. Will you come to see me again?"

"I promise," Chris said.

* * *

"You're late," Leonard said when he opened the door for Chris that evening. "I hope you don't mind that we already ate. Oh, and Laurel was here, and she wanted to ask you something, but she'll call again tomorrow."

Chris nodded distractedly, following him to the living room. "I met Gaila's daughter today."

Leonard looked at him in surprise. "Gaila? I never knew she had one. How old is she?"

"A year older than Joana. She's half-Vulcan."

"She what? But that's not possible, Chris, as far as I know, Spock is the only half-Vulcan there is."

"Well, not anymore," Chris replied, walking to the window and drawing the curtains. "The crew of the _Avicenna_ picked her up when they were delivering medical supplies to Geltsun Colony after an outbreak of the Modlari Virus."

"Yes, I heard of that at Starfleet Medical," Leonard replied, frowning. "That really is one nasty virus to catch. As of now, there's no vaccine against it and they have been working on it for fifteen years, ever since it was discovered." He looked at Chris in concern. "She didn't catch the virus, did she?"

Chris shook his head. "No. She seems perfectly healthy and Leila says that they tested her before bringing her aboard the _Avicenna_."

"What was she doing there, anyways? It's a long way from her mother's homeworld."

"Trust me; you don't really want to know. Sufficient to say that she was sold by Ferrengi traders at the age of eleven. There's no telling what she's already been through."

Leonard looked disgusted. "But how could that happen…? Surely her family…"

"According to Delia, her family didn't want her because she's a half-breed. Apparently, Vulcans and humans aren't the only people with racial prejudices."

"Poor girl," Leonard shook his head. "What'll happen to her now?"

Chris shrugged. "As nobody seems to feel responsible for her but Rebekka and Leila's people at Medical, she will probably be turned over to Child Protective Services and placed in a foster family. Starfleet will pay for her education and upkeep, they owe that much to her and her mother."

He did not sound particularly happy at this prospect. Leonard cast him a sidelong glance, studying his face, then sighed heavily.

"Please tell me that you're not serious, Chris…?"

"About what?"

"I know what you're thinking right now. It's showing on your face."

Chris turned to look at him. "Well…?"

Leonard shook his head. "Chris, I _do_ love you, and I have the highest regard for your abilities as a parent, but an outcast teenage Orion, who has every reason to be severely traumatized…? Don't you think we've got enough on our plate already with a little girl who has tragically lost her mother, Jim, and most likely, a newfound grandkid?"

Chris sighed. "You are right, of course. But I feel responsible for her."

Leonard stepped behind him, drawing an arm around him and resting his chin on Chris' shoulder. "I know," he murmured, "you always do. It's one of the reasons I love you so much."


	6. Sick

_- " […] I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life […]" –_

_(part of the traditional Catholic marriage vows)_

_

* * *

_

Leonard woke in the middle of the night; blinking into the semi-darkness of the room unsure of what had roused him from his slumber. Next to him, Chris stirred in his sleep, murmuring something and turning to face him. Leonard reached out to gently pull him closer, and even in his sleep, Chris responded to the tender gesture and settled into his husband's embrace.

Something wasn't right, though. Leonard frowned, trying to chase the last fogs of sleep from his mind.

"Chris."

"Mhm…"

"You're hot."

Chris yawned, stretching slightly. "And you couldn't wait to tell me that until morning…? I'm flattered, but…"

"It's not that," Leonard huffed, touching a hand to Chris' forehead. "You're burning with fever."

"Am I?" Chris asked drowsily. He tried to sit up, but sank back with a low moan, closing his eyes temporarily.

"Are you in pain?" Leonard asked, alarmed.

"Just dizzy."

Leonard sat up, calling on the lights, and bent over Chris to closely examine him. His face was flushed and there was a feverish gleam to his eyes that Leonard didn't like to see at all.

"Chris, why exactly are you shuddering?"

"I'm cold."

Puzzled, Leonard drew an arm around him, helping him up and holding him close. "You shouldn't be. Judging from your body temperature and the color of your face, you should be feeling like an ice bear in the Mojave."

Chris managed a brief smile at that, but it was impossible to overlook the fact that he seemed to be highly uncomfortable.

"I'm taking you to Medical," Leonard announced.

"Now? It's two o'clock in the morning… Len, love, do I need to tell you that you're _somewhat_ overreacting? So maybe I've caught a fever. What of it? You can give me a hypo, I'll sweat it out, stay home for the day and be fine tomorrow."

"You were perfectly fine last night, which tells me that this isn't just any odd fever. And you've spent yesterday afternoon with a survivor of an outbreak of the Modlari virus. So no, I'm not overreacting."

"Delia was tested," Chris protested.

"I don't care. I'm not taking any chances with you. So do me a favor and listen to your favorite doctor for once."

"Honestly, Leonard…"

Leonard cast him a look that stopped him from finishing the sentence. Grumbling something, Chris got up shakily and started looking for his clothes.

* * *

"Dad?" Joana's sleepy voice came from upstairs. "What's going on?"

"Hush. Go back to bed. I'm taking Chris to the hospital."

"What… is he sick?"

"Don't worry," Chris called upstairs.

"If you need anything, or if anything happens, call Laurel," Leonard told her. "We'll be back as soon as possible."

"Shouldn't I go with you?"

"No. Go back to bed. Everything will be fine."

* * *

"Do you _live_ at the hospital?" Chris asked Leyla Maliki when she greeted them.

The doctor flashed him a grin. "Well, it's pleasure to see you again so soon, Chris. What's the matter?" She looked from him to Leonard and back.

"I want you to test him for Modlari," Leonard said.

Leyla raised her eyebrows.

"As always, he's completely overreacting. Every time I so much as catch a simple cold, Leonard freaks out and wakes up everybody in the middle of the night." Chris gave an exasperated sigh.

"We already had that discussion," Leonard snapped.

"It's unlikely that he could have gotten the virus from Delia," Leyla mused, before turning to Chris. "What are your symptoms?"

Chris rolled his eyes. "Not you, too!"

"It's part of my job to be overprotective," she reminded him. "Part of Leonard's, too. And after all, he's _not _ the one who had a specialist from Berlin fly in when there wasn't even a patient to treat."

"That was an entirely different situation!" Chris protested.

"Uh-huh. Sure. Now come along, I'll do the testing, and we'll have a cup of tea while we wait for the results. Shouldn't be too long. Luckily, the procedure is pretty simple."

* * *

Leyla had just poured them all a second cup of tea when one of her assistants, a young, olive skinned doctor with curly brown hair, entered the room, looking rather agitated.

"You need to see this," she told her superior, handing her a PADD without any further explanations. Leyla read, frowned, then cursed.

"My sentiments exactly," the young doctor said. "We need to lock down the entire ward and place everyone who's been in contact with the girl in quarantine. It's Modlari. I can't believe they overlooked it when they brought her aboard the _Avicenna_."

"Lieutenant Fairbanks assured me that she had been tested!" Leyla exclaimed.

"Well, maybe they got a bad batch. It's rare, but there is a slight margin of error, even with the most sophisticated testing methods."

Leyla nodded slowly. "Yes, there is," she agreed, "well done, Cassandra. See to it that all Medical personnel currently on duty in this section is alerted and that a list of everyone who has been in contact with Delia is drawn up. Then make sure that these people – all of them – get tested as soon as possible, either here or in other Starfleet facilities. If there is so much of the hint of a chance that one of them might have caught the bug, place them in quarantine and have everyone they interacted with tested."

She turned to Chris. "I am afraid we'll have to keep you here." And looking at Leonard she added: "I want you to get tested, and for safety matters, Joana, too."

Leonard nodded, looking distinctly paler than before.

"If I got the virus from Delia, then why isn't she sick?" Chris asked.

"Good question. There is a rare genetic trait in the Orion race, probably due to a mutation several centuries ago, that enables some of them to develop antibodies against the virus. Maybe Delia has it. We won't be able to tell for sure until we've tested her."

"If I can help…" Leonard began, but Leyla shook her head firmly.

"No. You stay with Chris. I'll send someone to your house to pick up Joana, and I'll have them test you both. Though I doubt that either of you caught it."

"Why me?" Chris asked, somewhat confused. "Why not you or one of the people on the _Avicenna_? I only spent a few hours with her."

"Because your immune system has been weak ever since you played host to that infernal slug thing," Leonard replied darkly, remembering Nero and his poisonous parasite. "And you tell me not to worry about you!"

He was looking at Chris, but there was no anger in his eyes – just concern and tenderness, and deep down, hidden for anyone who did not know him _very_ well, something else, something darker.

Fear.

* * *

"I've got good news for you," Leyla announced, sounding almost a little too bright. Leonard looked up. There were dark shadows under his eyes and despite the early afternoon sun filling the room with rich, golden light, the atmosphere in there as well as in his mind, was rather gloomy.

"By every test we've been able to come up with, you and Joana are clean. So is everyone else working at Medical. There is a suspected case on the _Avicenna_, but they already have him quarantined and are treating him with the appropriate medication, just in case. Delia has also been tested, and she really does have those antibodies. She has been placed in quarantine, too, and everything she brought with her has been sent through decontamination. All in all, we are hopeful as to having contained the virus."

"That doesn't make Chris any less sick," Leonard stated, his gaze travelling back to his sleeping husband.

"True," Leyla admitted, stepping closer and leaning over Chris. "How is he?" She asked quietly.

"Not well," Leonard replied. "The medication knocked him out flat. He just contracted one of the most nasty viruses threatening human life and health, and he has to fight it with an already weakened immune system. That's like David fighting Goliath."

Leyla, who had heard the angry helplessness in his voice, put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Leonard. But then… look on the bright side."

"The bright side?" Leonard asked incredulously.

"David won, didn't he?"

* * *

_Thanks for the input, Biatricie. You are right, of course, and I should have seen the mistake myself, since I learned that in 10th grade biology...;) Oh well, nobody's perfect. I changed it from "recessive" to "rare"._

_By the way - at this point, I'd like to thank everyone who's been reading and reviewing this story so far. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it and thank you so much for the feedback! I would like to reply to every review I get, like some authors do, but I simply don't have the time. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate them, though!  
_


	7. Matters of the Heart

_- "__There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.__" –_

_Friedrich Nietzsche_

_

* * *

_

To say that Lieutenant Nyota Uhura was annoyed would have been a serious understatement.

No, she wasn't annoyed. She wasn't irritated or exasperated, either. In fact, she was at this point pretty close to tears. Her nerves were worn so thin that you could almost see through them.

And unfortunately, the one responsible for causing such severe damage to her peace of mind happened to be one of her best friends and higher up the figurative food chain than she was. Therefore, Nyota couldn't simply tell him to go to hell and stop bugging her. Especially, since he wasn't even aware of what he was doing to her poor, overworked nerves.

He sat across from her at the dinner table, and Nyota watched him as he ate his way through a vegetarian's dream of an evening meal without any real appetite. He pushed his food from one side of the plate to the other, his long fingers idly toying with a pair of intricately carved chopsticks.

"Spock. It's already dead."

He raised his head, his dark eyes wide, beautiful and somewhat lost in an oh-so-innocent look that didn't fool her.

"I beg your pardon?"

"The mushrooms did you no harm. Nor did the cabbage or the carrots. Stop torturing them and me, please. You could just say that you don't like it."

He blinked. "The food is excellent."

"But you're not hungry," she stated.

He inclined his head and she took the gesture as a nod.

With a sigh, she put her own pair of chopsticks down. "Okay. Let's talk about this. Spock, I believe that you are sick."

His eyebrows went up. "I can assure you that at my last medical exam, I was pronounced to be in very good health."

"But you aren't feeling well."

She half expected him to ask _well, and how do YOU know?_, but he didn't.

"Define _'well'_."

"I can do better. I can tell you what your problem is." She looked at him expectantly.

A human would probably have shrugged, but he waived her on with an elegant gesture of his right hand. "I am most curious. Please, feel free to explain yourself."

"Spock, I believe you've contracted a very serious disease. It is fairly common, but very hard to treat with common medical means. The only good thing you can say about it is that it's not usually contagious – or maybe, that's a bad thing, depending on your point of view. In any case, the symptoms include inexplicable behavior, loss of appetite and sleep, daydreaming, verbal incoherence, frequent blushing, as well as sudden outbursts of romanticism, jealousy, and mood swings. You have exhibited nearly all of the above, and it's progressively getting worse. I think it's time to face the truth: Spock, you're in love."

He studied her for a minute or two, as if trying to evaluate whether she was being serious or not, and Nyota remembered that Spock had always had his difficulties understanding irony. Well, he'd have to get used to it one of these days. She returned his gaze steadily, waiting for him to reply anything.

"You are very observant," he acknowledged after a moment of silence.

_Oh._ So no denials, no questions, no arguments…? Well… this was, as Spock himself would have put it, _fascinating_.

"I'm proud of you, you know. You're not even trying to deny it."

"Denying the obvious would be somewhat pointless," Spock replied silkily.

"If I had asked you a year, or even three months ago, you _would have_ denied it."

Spock's dark eyes grew troubled. "Maybe," he admitted. "It is… a very delicate matter."

"Oh, absolutely. Being in love with your Captain can be _so_ inconvenient," she retorted slyly.

"If you are trying to provoke an emotional response, you may be disappointed. Others have tried… and failed."

"Except Jim Kirk, of course. Somehow, he never seems to have trouble getting you to shed that dispassionate mask. Even though I'm sure he never intended to provoke you to the point where you tried to kill him… twice, if I remember correctly."

Once again, Spock inclined his head. "I regret those incidents. I was acting illogically." His face darkened slightly and he added softly: "As I am now..."

Despite her annoyance, Nyota felt pity for him. It _was_ a terribly awkward situation, after all. "Have you tried talking about it lately? Your feelings for Jim, I mean."

"I am talking to you, am I not?"

"Yes, but maybe, as your former lover, I'm not all that qualified for this particular conversation," Nyota suggested. "At least, I seem to have to force the information out of you. Maybe you should talk to someone else, who isn't serving aboard the Enterprise. Have you tried Leonard?"

"He is Jim's – the Captain's – best friend," Spock reminded her.

Nyota had noticed the correction and smiled. "Okay, you may have a point there. Even though I'm certain he would keep it to himself if you asked him to. I just thought of him, because he once faced the same, or a very similar problem. With the slight difference that he's now married to his former Captain, of course."

Spock shot her an almost pained look. "It was an entirely different situation."

"If you say so. Anyway, I think you should find someone to talk to. And as you obviously don't want to talk to Jim – which would be best, of course – I suggest either Leonard or Christopher."

"I will think about it."

_Which translates to: I most certainly won't…_, Nyota thought, sighing inwardly.

* * *

Leonard was half asleep, when someone touched his shoulder.

"Hey." Startled, he looked up into a pair of familiar grey eyes. Laurel Rasmussen was over a decade younger than her brother, but other than that, they looked very much alike.

Her face was troubled as she stepped closer to the bed, gazing at Chris, who was still asleep. "How is he?"

Leonard rubbed his tired eyes. "He's been worse. That's about the only good thing I can say about it."

Laurel made a noncommittal sound and moved back to his side, drawing an arm around him in sympathy. "Well, as you are with him, I'm not _too_ worried about him. You brought him back from the dead."

"That's a rather dramatic way of putting it."

"You know what I mean. Try to be optimistic, Leonard. My brother is a tough old bastard. He'll probably wake up laughing at us for worrying so much." She cast him a sidelong glance, then sighed. "I'm not making you feel any better, am I? I'm sorry. I've never been very good at comforting others. That's usually Chris' department."

"It's okay, Laurel," Leonard murmured, his eyes never leaving Chris' sleeping face.

"I'll take Joana home with me. The girls are already looking forward to seeing her. "

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

* * *

Taking her own advice, Nyota had tried to contact Leonard and/or Chris, but without success. She had neither reached them at their respective offices, nor at home.

However, it was not necessarily a reason to get worried. Maybe they had simply taken the day or the weekend off and gone on a little trip with Joana. She remembered that Chris owned a boat and that they frequently went sailing, so that was probably where they were now.

Still, it bugged her. She would have liked to talk to Leonard and told him about her Spock-related quandary. He would have been sympathetic to her problem, since he had probably been the first to suspect that Spock had a thing for Jim.

Well, Leonard had always been pretty perceptive… except when it came to his own feelings, but that was another matter, and Jim had successfully taken care of it years ago. Which left Nyota with an interesting question – if Jim was clever enough to figure out the complicated relationship between Leonard and Christopher and give them a push in the right direction that ultimately led to happily ever after, then why on earth hadn't he realized that his first officer and closest companion was in love with him…?

Or maybe he had, and was trying to resolve the problem by ignoring it.

Nyota frowned. No, that didn't sound like Jim. Jim liked to deal with problems directly. And yet – what would he do, if he learned that Spock had an epic crush on him? Jim trusted the Vulcan with his life and the lives of his crew and to learn that Spock was keeping a secret of that magnitude would probably not go down well with the spirited young captain.

In any case, something had to be done. She didn't want Spock to suffer, and she was growing real tired of suffering along. Let _Jim_ deal with this… preferably either by hitting Spock over the head with something heavy to make him see reason, or by taking him aside for a private, nonverbal conversation.

* * *

"Leonard…?" Chris' voice sounded hoarse, nothing like the smooth baritone Leonard had grown so accustomed to, but right now that didn't matter. He was happy to hear Chris talk at all.

"I'm here," he replied softly, leaning over and taking Chris' hand. "How do you feel…?"

"Thirsty."

"That can be helped," Leonard said, reaching for the glass on the nightstand and helping Chris, whose hands were still unsteady. "Better?"

Chris nodded. He looked up at his husband with a wry smile. "You look horrible, love."

Leonard snorted. "Well, thank you, darling. That _might_ be the result of spending the last two days at your bedside."

"You worry too much. I've always said that," Chris replied, still smiling.

Leonard leant closer, fixing him with a reprobative gaze. "Is it so hard to understand that I'm scared of losing you…?" He asked quietly.

The smile disappeared from Chris face. "I'm sorry."

"You better be," Leonard replied, before placing a soft kiss on the front of his head. "I need you, Chris. Don't you dare to leave me."

"I wouldn't," Chris said simply.

* * *

_Hi guys! I'm sorry it took me so long to update this story. Right now, my attention is divided between classes and "Oh my God, I'm moving to Morocco in two weeks!"_ ;)_  
_


	8. Recovery

_- "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." –_

_Aesop_

_

* * *

_

"Good Lord, Laurel, did you _have to_ do that to me?" Chris groaned in exasperation. "You know I hate surprise parties, and much more so when they are being held at the hospital while I'm confined to my sickbed with no hope of escaping."

His sister grinned at him, holding up the huge chocolate cake she and Malin had prepared. "Love you, too, Chris."

"You did not paint a heart on that cake…!"

"No, Freya did. She thought it would best express how happy we are to have you back. It's a little crooked, but I think she did very well. It's not that easy, you know?" Laurel said, setting down the cake and ruffling her youngest daughter's blond hair.

Freya tore herself from her mother's grip and rushed over to the bed, more throwing herself at Chris than hugging him. "I am so glad you're better, Uncle Chris. I would never have forgiven you for dying! And besides, Mom and Dad were all cranky while you were sick and Jojo was all worried and no fun at all!"

Chris could not help but smile at the blond hurricane, who was now snuggling up to him, gazing at him from wide, all-too-innocent grey eyes.

"There was never any question of me dying. I know better than to leave the lot of you unsupervised, little elf. You'd give poor Balder a heart attack if I weren't around to relieve him of you all sometimes." He sent a knowing look to his brother-in-law, who stood behind Laurel, his arms crossed, and acknowledged the comment with an amused wink.

"Where's Leonard?" Laurel asked, pointedly ignoring her brother's comment.

"At home. "

Laurel raised her brows. "How come? Did you hit him over the head and have someone drag him home by his ankles?" She laughed at the look of disapproval on Chris' face. "He was stuck to your bedside, Chris. I don't know what he did here – watch you sleep, for the most part, I guess – but he sure as hell refused to leave the hospital. Sort of reminds me of the first time I met him."

Chris smiled a soft, slightly melancholy smile at that. "We never managed to fool you, did we, Laurel?"

Laurel snorted. "No, but I grew up with you, so I'm used to your sneaky ways. You kept it very, very quiet, though, I'll give you that. I don't think anyone at the hospital knew that you had fallen for your doctor, and they were with you twenty-four-seven. As for him – well, I didn't know him very well back then. Otherwise, I'm sure I'd have noticed it a lot earlier. Leonard is utterly incapable of hiding his feelings. It's really cute, actually."

"Depends on your definition of cute, I suppose," Balder, muttered. "It's a good thing he's gay, otherwise it'd be somewhat embarrassing in a grown man."

"Technically, Leonard isn't gay," Malin corrected him lightly, "and really, Dad, you ought to get rid of some of those prejudices. They are positively medieval."

"Leave an old man be," her father huffed, "we all have our own set of misconceptions, don't we?"

"Yeah, well, I just thought I'd mention it. Laurie and I aren't playing soccer and cutting our hair short, either."

Her youngest sister started to giggle.

"What's so funny?" Malin asked.

"I just imagined you playing soccer," Freya replied, grinning broadly.

"You wait, little brat!" Malin reached out for her, catching her in her arms and submitting her to a merciless tickle-attack.

"Girls! Try to calm down a bit, will you?" Balder chided. "I'm sure Chris would appreciate a little peace and quiet."

"You bet," Chris murmured, thinking that the one thing he really longed for was to be at home with Leonard and Joana. He felt that he had seen quite enough of Starfleet Medical for a lifetime.

* * *

Chris had another visitor that day, but she stepped into his room much more quietly than Laurel and her family. She slipped through the half-opened door, made two steps into the twilit room, then hesitated. Chris watched her from his bed, staying very still, so he could see what she would do without scaring her off.

A minute went by, then another. She took a step forward, hesitated again, and seemed ready to turn back and leave.

"I'm not asleep, you know," he pointed out.

She started and instinctively shrank back, before regaining her composure.

"I'm sorry I startled you. What are you doing here, Delia? According to Leyla, you should still be in quarantine."

"I… I wanted to see how you were doing," the girl murmured.

"That is very thoughtful of you. I am feeling a lot better already, and I hope they'll let me go home in a couple of days. It still doesn't explain how you got out of a sealed room, though."

"I watched Nurse Dolan enter the airlock combination," Delia admitted, sounding a little guilty.

"Right. And since you have a photographic memory, you remembered it." Chris supposed that he should have suspected something like that.

"How do you know?" Delia asked, obviously surprised.

"All Vulcans and the only other Vulcan-cross I know have it. I assume it's a racial thing. Besides, it isn't hard to see that you are exceptionally clever and advanced for your age. Leyla should have known that she couldn't lock you in permanently."

"She said I made you sick," Delia said, hanging her head.

"Not on purpose, though. And I don't hold a grudge. It's hardly your fault that they didn't test you properly on the _Avicenna_."

"Your family probably hates me now," Delia replied sadly, "I know your husband does."

"Leonard? No way. He's a doctor; he knows better than anyone else that it wasn't your fault."

"I heard him tell Dr. Maliki that I had been nothing but trouble ever since I came here. He blames me for making you sick," she insisted.

Chris sighed inwardly, thinking that he and Leonard were going to have a serious conversation regarding Delia. "I'm sure it's a misunderstanding. Leonard _can_ be a bit gruff sometimes, but he doesn't mean it that way. He was probably just upset and worried about me."

Delia didn't look convinced, though. "I want him to like me," she confessed, "I want all of you to like me so badly. I try to be good, but maybe that's not enough. I'm not even human."

Chris felt sorry for her, even more than he had before. "Come here, Delia," he said kindly, pointing to the chair that stood next to his bed. Timidly, she stepped closer and slipped into the chair, sitting uncomfortably on its very edge, as if ready to jump up and run out of the room any moment.

"No one has a problem with you not being human," Chris told her firmly. "In fact, some of my closest friends aren't human. I really need to introduce you to Spock the next time he's around. You'll like him. He's part Vulcan like you, and I'm sure, you could beat him at chess if you tried hard enough. It's his favorite pastime, apart from being a smartass and preventing his fool of a Captain from getting himself killed. Speaking of Jim – I'll introduce you to him, too. He was in your mother's class at the Academy, and rumor has it that they knew each other quite well."

"Isn't Jim your son?" Delia asked, raising a very Vulcan eyebrow.

"Yes, but unfortunately, that doesn't mean he's less of a fool. He has a penchant for getting into potentially life-threatening situations. Of course, Leonard would say that I do, too. The difference between Jim and me is that he gets to do all the fun stuff, while I get kidnapped by madmen or catch rare alien viruses." Chris smiled wryly.

"How come you got kidnapped?" Delia asked curiously.

"It's a long story, and not very pleasant. The same guy who is responsible for your mother's death and the destruction of Vulcan took me hostage. Jim and Spock sort of blew up his ship and pushed him into a black hole."

There was an appreciative gleam in Delia's dark eyes when she answered: "I think I'd like to meet them and say thank you."

* * *

"Leonard? What the hell have you been doing for the last five days? I tried to contact both you and Chris; at your offices, as well as at home, but I only got voicemail. Is everything all right?"

Leonard put down the cup of coffee he had just gotten from the kitchen on the table in front of him, before replying: "Chris is at Starfleet Medical, and I stayed with him as much as I could."

"What happened?", Nyota asked, looking worried now.

"He caught a very nasty alien virus. He's better now, and he more or less forced me to go home and get some sleep. Dr. Maliki is keeping him at the hospital just in case."

"Oh, Leonard, I'm sorry. How did Chris manage to catch that virus? He hasn't been offworld, has he?"

"It came to him, so to speak. Do you remember your roommate at the Academy, Gaila?"

"Of course I do! She died when Nero attacked her ship."

"Well, the crew of the _Avicenna_ recently found her daughter when they were on a relief mission to Geltsun Colony. The girl's name is Delia and she was a carrier of the Modlari virus. Chris caught it from her, when he went to see her at the hospital."

"I never knew Gaila had a child," Nyota said, sounding very surprised.

"Neither did anyone else, it appears. There's something else: she's part Vulcan."

"Come again? She wouldn't be Spock's, by any chance?"

"As far as I know, it was Jim, not Spock, who had an affair with Gaila during their Academy days. Besides, she's half Vulcan. If Spock were her father, she would be part human, too."

"Well that's good. We've got enough problems as it is."

"Is something wrong with Spock?"

"Other than him having an epic crush on his captain and best friend? No."

"See, and Chris wouldn't believe me. Shows how well he knows his friends… so it's getting worse?"

"Progressively. Sometimes I just want to lock them in a room together and tell them that they won't get out until they have resolved their relationship issues. By now, I'm almost positive Jim knows. Hell, almost everybody else does!"

"It's a good idea, but it won't work, since they both have override codes. You might want to try using ad old-fashioned padlock, though. "

"I'm serious, Leonard. It's starting to be a real problem. Spock is miserable, and he's making me miserable in turn. Jim is either in denial, or absolutely not interested, and the latter would surprise me. Spock is drop-dead gorgeous, after all."

"Maybe Jim values their friendship too much to risk anything…?"

Nyota snorted. "That would be sensible; and when has Jim ever been sensible in matters of love…?"

"Okay, you do have a point there. Chris and I need to talk to Jim, anyway. Maybe the four of us ought to sit down and have a nice little chat. We could chain Jim to his chair, so he won't be able to run from the conversation."

"We are due for a routine checkup in a couple of weeks. Scotty wants to do some modifications on the engines while we're docked, so we will probably have a few days off."

"Perfect. Chris will be very pleased to hear that he's getting a chance to take Jim apart in person."

Nyota rolled her eyes. "What did he do now?"

"Trust me; you don't even want to know. Sufficient to say that Chris is really mad at him."

"Oh. Well, I'll see you then, won't I?"

"Of course."

"Tell Chris I said hi. I hope he gets well soon."

* * *

_Hi everyone! Now I finally managed to update this story, and I apologize for the long wait. I guess there aren't any big surprises in this chapter - apart from Balder being a little more prejudiced than he first appeared to be and Cris hating surprise parties_ (_he'd probably get allong real well with Worf, at least in that respect...). _


	9. Bloodline

_- "A family without a black sheep is not a typical family." –_

_Heinrich Böll_

_

* * *

_

"Home, sweet home," Chris sighed as he sat down on the sofa in the living room, trying to balance a steaming mug and push away a curious cat simultaneously. "You have no idea how nice it feels to finally be able to have a cup of coffee without Leyla casting me reproachful looks or Laurel and her elves swarming me."

Leonard chuckled quietly. "Serves you right for scaring us all to death."

"I didn't fall ill on purpose, you know? Speaking of which – you need to talk to Delia."

"Me? Why?"

"She thinks you hate her."

Leonard looked up, frowning. "That's ridiculous. I don't even know her. "

"That's what I told her. But she overheard you talking to Leyla; and she is very insecure and sensitive about what others think of her. She desperately wants to people to like her. The poor girl hasn't had a functioning, stable relationship with anyone since her mother left her."

"She needs someone to take care of her."

"Uh-huh."

"You'd be ideal, Chris, but I don't think it would work. Taking care of Delia is likely going to be a full-time job for at least a couple of years, probably longer. You simply don't have the time to do it; you've already made your commitments, to Starfleet, to Jim, to Joana and to me. And it wouldn't be fair to Delia to go halfway and leave it at that."

"I know," Chris sighed, shaking his head, "but I want to help her. She's a fascinating little girl, and I feel obliged to her mother. I really want to do something for her."

"And I'm sure you can," Leonard replied smiling, taking his hand, before correcting himself: "I'm sure _we_ can. We'll figure something out. For now, there are a lot of people who want to meet her. Nyota is very curious about her, and you'll never believe who asked me about her yesterday – Ambassador Sarek."

"You spoke to Sarek?"

Leonard nodded. "Briefly. In fact, he came to ask me about his son. He is worried about Spock."

"Ah. Well, if it is as bad as Nyota says, Sarek was bound to notice something sooner or later, whether Spock wanted him to or not. He is very observant; he just has a habit of keeping his observations to himself."

"Do you think he knows about Jim?"

"Sarek may very well be one of the most intelligent individuals in the Federation; and Spock is his son. I would be very surprised if he didn't know."

"Sarek is Vulcan. His people aren't exactly known for their empathy. And love is an emotion."

Chris smiled wistfully. "You don't really believe the fairy tale of Vulcans having purged all emotions, do you? Sarek was married to a human for over twenty years. He loved Amanda, and he was devastated when she died. Believe me, Sarek understands love. And Spock should probably talk to his father, but he is too stubborn to do so."

"Does that remind you of anyone?" Leonard asked ironically.

* * *

"Leonard." Dr. Leyla Maliki smiled at him. "What brings you here? Don't you have any patients today?"

"Things are kind of slow at the moment. Captain Amouel is my only patient right now, and she's doing very well; so I thought I could visit one of yours today."

"Let me guess – Delia?"

"Your assumption is accurate," a sonorous voice responded in Leonard's place. Leyla frowned, trying to look around her friend and colleague, then her eyes widened as someone utterly unexpected stepped to his side.

"Ambassador Sarek…?"

"Indeed." The Vulcan acknowledged her with a slight bow of his head. "Dr. Maliki, it is a pleasure to meet one of the Federation's most renowned medical experts. Please excuse this unheralded visit. I had heard about your newest charge and I came as soon as my obligations permitted."

"I understand," Leyla replied slowly, having some trouble to adjust to Sarek's formal parlance, "you must be very interested in her. As far as I know, the case of a Vulcan-Orion cross is unprecedented."

"It is," Sarek agreed with her, "and that alone would be worth investigating her case. However, there is a more personal reason behind my visit to your department. I have reason to believe that I am Delia's closest living relative – which by Vulcan law would make me her legal guardian."

Both Leyla and Leonard stared at him at that.

"Did you know about that?" Leyla asked.

Leonard shook his head. "You never told me," he said to Sarek, trying to cope with his astonishment.

"It was, until recently, only a theory that needed proof, and I am still not entirely convinced that she is related. However, there is evidence to support my assumption."

"In what way are you related to Delia?" Leyla asked. "And how do you know?"

"As I said, I am not yet absolutely certain that she is of my kin; but if she is who I believe her to be, she would be my granddaughter. The daughter of my son."

"That's impossible!" Leyla said, shaking her head. "We tested her. She has no human genetic traits whatsoever. If she were Spock's child, she would have to be part human. Besides – and I think you are well aware of that fact – it is medically impossible for Spock to naturally father a child."

"Regrettably, yes." Sarek agreed.

"Huh?" Leonard frowned. "Excuse me, but I think you lost me there."

"You _did_ study medicine, Leonard, didn't you?"

"Obviously."

"Did you sleep through Humanoid Genetics? Interspecific hybrids often suffer from hybrid sterility. Vulcans and Humans are two different species, biologically speaking, so there is a reproductive barrier. Even though they can reproduce, their offspring is sterile. - Please excuse the technical terms, Ambassador."

"I have heard a lot worse regarding my marriage to a human, Doctor," Sarek replied with a hint of dry humor in his voice. "However, I was not referring to Spock. I have – or rather I _had_ – two sons. My son from my first marriage was completely Vulcan – at least genetically."

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" Leonard asked.

Sarek turned slightly to look at him. "Sybok had turned away from the Vulcan way. He was what you might call a renegade."

"There is such a thing as Vulcan renegades?"

Sarek might have shrugged at that, had he been human. Instead he replied: "Young men are often foolish."

"And what makes you believe that your son could be Delia's father?" Leyla asked.

"There are not that many Vulcans who would engage in a relationship with an Orion, and much less a sexual one. Sybok would have been one of them. I do not know whether or not you are aware of this, but casual relationships are in fact very uncommon among my people."

"Which is a nice way of saying that sexuality in general is a taboo in Vulcan society. You don't talk about it, and you most certainly don't practice it outside of established, formalized relationships," Leonard remarked, thinking that they had just hit part of the problem that was making _Spock _so miserable.

"That is correct," Sarek conceded. "You might say that Sybok had relationship issues, having observed the bond between his mother and me rupture. Such an occurrence is very rare in Vulcan society and it affected my son in ways I never imagined it would. A Vulcan bond is somewhat different from a human marriage. It goes deeper, and consequently causes more damage when it is broken. Sybok left Vulcan, his family and his fiancée after that. I never saw him again, but occasionally, word of his wanderings reached me. I know that he visited Gaila's homeworld several times. And considering Delia's age, there is a real probability that she could be his daughter."

"Because he was there fifteen years ago?"

"That too. Also, there are certain biological imperatives that would have found him in need of a partner roughly around the time of Delia's conception. "

"Pon Farr," Leonard translated. _Which is another thing Vulcans usually don't talk about. Sarek is being surprisingly open with us. _"And since he was without a bondmate, he would have gone looking for that partner elsewhere."

"Indeed. However, I need to see the child in order to confirm my theory. I might be proven wrong."

"But you don't really believe it."

Sarek inclined his head. "I know my sons, Dr. McCoy. There seems to be a trait running in our family that makes us look for unusual relationships. I married a human. My youngest son is currently facing a severe identity crisis, due to his affection for someone he deems utterly inappropriate. It would not really surprise me to learn that my other son had had an affair with an Orion woman."

_Well, so much for Chris' theory on Sarek knowing about Jim and Spock…_

_

* * *

_

It took Sarek little more than two minutes to figure out that Delia was indeed his granddaughter. He walked into her room, accompanied by Leonard and Leyla, and the two of them stood facing each other for a moment, staring at one another.

"I was right," Sarek said quietly to no one in particular.

"How do you know?" Leyla demanded.

"I am Vulcan," he replied, sounding somewhat haughty.

As if that were all the answer they needed…

"Besides," he amended after a moment's hesitation, "she has her grandmother's eyes. There is a great resemblance between her and Saaravin."

"Who are you?" Delia asked suspiciously, speaking for the first time since they had entered the room.

"Delia, meet Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan," Leyla said formally. "He is here to tell you something about your family."

"How do you know my grandmother?" Delia asked, not taking her eyes of Sarek.

"I used to be married to her."

The girl's dark eyes grew very large. "So… we are related?"

"Yes. You are the daughter of one of my sons."

Delia looked to Leyla for reassurance and the woman nodded.

"Does that mean I have a father…?"

"Everybody has a father," Leyla replied. "Unfortunately, though, your father is dead. That is probably why he never came to take care of you after your mother left you."

"So he did not hate me…?"

"It would have been illogical for Sybok to hate his daughter," Sarek said.

"Which roughly translates to: No, of course he didn't", Leonard told Delia. "And while we're at it – Chris told me that there has been a slight misunderstanding." He walked up to Delia, standing very close to her and looking at her intently. Then, without a warning, he gave the startled girl a quick hug, before pulling back and leaving her openmouthed and speechless. "I don't hate you, either. In fact, I think I would like to get to know you better."


	10. Confrontation

_- "__Es irrt der Mensch so lang er strebt." -  
(__Man errs, till he has ceased to strive.)  
J.W. Goethe_

* * *

There was a certain, almost tangible air of excitement when the _Enterprise _entered the spacedock, where she was to undergo repairs and a routine checkup during the course of the following week. It was most obvious on the faces of the younger members of the crew, and in fact, Pavel Chekov barely managed to stay put and looked about ready to jump up and down like a little rubber ball; but Spock also noticed it in several others.

Even the Captain turned towards him and Nyota with a smile, commenting: "It sure is nice to get a few extra days of shoreleave."

"God knows I could use it," Nyota muttered under her breath, shooting Spock a dirty look that he did not quite understand.

"Are you going to see your family, Captain?" Sulu asked politely. Spock had never quite understood the use and necessity of such superfluous questions; shouldn't it be obvious to everyone aboard that Jim would be visiting his family?

"I sure hope so," the Captain replied, smiling. "I'll tell them you said hi."

"Which reminds me – your father sent me a message, asking me to remind you that you have a dinner engagement tonight."

Spock raised his brows in what would have been a frown on a human's face.

"That's odd," Jim remarked, "why would Sarek think you could forget something like that? You never forget anything."

"I don't think he was worried about forgetfulness. The term he used was – I quote – 'I am afraid that my son would be tempted to avoid a potentially unpleasant conversation.'"

"Uh-oh, poor Spock. That doesn't sound very promising," Jim said. "I wonder what your father is up to."

Spock made an evasive answer, glad that his Captain had not made that last statement a direct question. He had a pretty good idea of what Sarek "was up to", but Jim was the very last person with whom he wanted to discuss the matter.  
Yet he was a little put out by the fact that his father was apparently conspiring with Nyota. He knew that they got along surprisingly well, considering their difference in age and origins; and more than once, he had had the sneaking suspicion that Sarek was actually a bit disappointed at Nyota not becoming his daughter-in-law. Which was surprising enough in itself… Spock had always thought that his father wanted him to bond with a Vulcan rather than a human woman.  
Yet even though he appreciated his father's apparent approval of Nyota, he was not at all happy to see that they were talking behind his back.

_I am not a child any longer. Yet now that mother is gone, he turns to my former partner and good friend in order to rein me in… _

'_Bossy'_, his mother would have called it. Spock had heard her complain about Sarek's authoritative tendencies more than once… usually at the top of her voice and right to her husband's stoic face. Maybe, Spock mused, it was the fact that his father was so much older than any other family member that made him assume the disposition of a stern patriarch when things weren't going the way he wanted them to.

"Hey Spock, are you dreaming?" Jim asked, giving him a good-natured clap on the shoulder that made Spock flinch involuntarily. That touch, brief as it was, sent an electric jolt through his shoulder and entire body, and brought images to his mind that would have made him blush, had he been human. Luckily enough he was not, but it was embarrassing enough as it was.

_Don't touch me… please do… not touch me._

Jim didn't seem to notice his confusion, he was still smiling jovially, but Nyota was watching him and he caught her rolling her eyes at him. She had been doing that a lot lately.

Spock knew Nyota's position by now. In her opinion, he should have declared his troubled feelings to Jim. But then, Nyota was hardly qualified to give an educated counsel in the matter. She simply did not, could not understand his predicament. Or so he told himself.

Maybe Leonard or Christopher would have understood it, but Spock was reluctant to talk to either of them. Leonard was Jim's best friend; Christopher his adoptive father. Wouldn't they see it as their duty to inform Jim of the fact that his trusted first officer was keeping secrets? No, talking to them was not an option. Unfortunately, though, neither was talking to his father, even though he saw no way around it. Spock was terrified of what Sarek would have to say about his utterly illogical and quite possibly unhealthy crush on a commanding officer.

Sarek's tolerance went as far as to accept Nyota as a potential mate for his son, but Spock was certain that Jim would be out of the question.

* * *

Jim stepped through the security airlock, only to find that his family was waiting for him on the other side. Or rather, Bones and Chris were waiting for him; there was no trace of Joana. He also noticed the preoccupied look on Chris' face and the frown on Leonard's.

"Hey guys! Is everything alright…?"

"Almost," Bones said, his frown deepening, while at the same time Chris replied: "No."

Jim raised his eyebrows – too much time spent around Spock, no doubt – and asked: "What happened?"

"I think we need to discuss this in private. Hello Spock – your father is anxious to see you. I believe he wants to speak to you in a matter of some importance."

Jim caught the flicker of panic that crossed Spock's eyes and wondered what Sarek had to tell his son. Whatever it was, Spock seemed pretty apprehensive.

_Seems that we're both about to get yelled at by our parents… on the other hand, Sarek would never yell. He'll probably look at Spock coldly and tell him: "I am most displeased, my son." Never mind, though, in his own way, a pissed off Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan is just as scary as a pissed off Admiral Christopher Pike… maybe I should sneak into Spock's room later tonight and comfort him…? No, bad idea, he'd probably kick me out… get a grip on your fantasies, Jim Kirk!_

"I'll see you later then," Nyota told them, looking from Jim to Spock with an amused little smile that was bordering on evil. Jim was starting to suspect that there might be a conspiracy at work here, but she was gone, before he could ask her about it.

He saluted his first officer, noticing that Spock seemed distracted and was looking everywhere but at him – _what the hell? Are you embarrassed? – _before following Bones and Chris out of the room. They led him through the familiar winding corridors; Chris walking at the front and at a brisk pace. Jim tried to engage them in conversation a couple of times, but Bones seemed aloof and evasive, while Chris' demeanor was downright unfriendly.

_I wonder what I did wrong this time…? Or maybe it isn't even about me; but something else, something grave and unpleasant happened while I was gone? I hope, it isn't about Jo…!_

They stepped out of the building and into the blazing sunlight of an early afternoon. Jim inhaled deeply, enjoying the familiar mixture of smells in the breeze.

The short ride to the house passed unusually quiet. Chris and Bones had moved into a somewhat larger house about two years ago, but not without regrets at leaving their old one. By now, their new place felt just as familiar as the old one had, and personally, Jim preferred the new décor, that was a mixture of classic Southern and more modern west-coast elements to Chris' inornate, somewhat impersonal style.

"Where's Jo?" Jim asked, bending down to pat Tiberius, the magnificent Abyssinian that ruled the house and garden.

"At a friend's house. They're _supposed _to be studying for a test , but I have my doubts about that," Bones replied.

They sat down at the round wooden table on the terrace, and Lucky, the second cat, hopped onto Jim's lap.

"Now, will you tell me what this is all about?" Jim asked. "There's obviously something wrong, and I'm guessing, it somehow concerns me."

"Good guess," Bones grumbled. "But I'll leave the explanation to Chris; he's been waiting to do this for weeks."

Jim raised his brows, looking at his friend, mentor and adoptive father. "So it's back to the old roles, huh? And here I was thinking that at twenty-eight, I was no longer a green cadet getting told off for inappropriate behavior."

"Apparently, some things never change," Chris replied, looking thoroughly displeased. "But I'll spare you the preliminaries this time. Carol Marcus. Do you remember her?"

Jim frowned. It wasn't exactly a pleasant memory…

"Sure I do. She's the first girl who ever broke up with me. Usually, it's the other way round. For that reason alone, I'll probably never forget her. And it was a messy breakup, too. Very unpleasant. She accused me of all sorts of things. I haven't heard from her since."

"Well, as it turns out, _I _have," Chris, fixing him with a stern gaze. "And you can't imagine my surprise when someone sent me a picture of her son."

Jim frowned. "Carol has a kid? Since when? Wow… is she married? I'd never have thought… she was so obsessed with her studies and research. She wanted to be a scientist before anything else."

Both Chris and Bones were now looking at him in an odd, scrutinizing way, as if trying to read something off his face. Jim was beginning to suspect that something was really, really wrong with this picture, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

"Her son's name is David. He should be about eighteen months old now."

_Huh. Carol has a baby. Who'd have thought…?_

"Er… that's nice. So?"

Bones sent him a look that spoke volumes: are you that stupid, or are you just pretending to be so?

"He looks like you, Jim."

Jim stared at his friend for a moment, holding his breath, then exhaled sharply. "That's not possible."

"Yeah it is. Everything matches – from the time frame to the kid's eye color. By now, it's just a matter of confirming it by running a paternity test," Bones told him. "What interests me most, though – and I think I'm also speaking for Chris here – is whether or not you were aware of this."

"And judging from the look on Chris' face, I'm so totally screwed if I was," Jim said in a futile attempt at humor. "But no, I honestly didn't know. I haven't even thought about Carol for over a year now, and I've never heard from her, either. I just… I didn't care anymore."

"Well, maybe you should have," Chris said.

"Hey! _She_ broke up with _me_. And not the nice, polite way, I might add. I liked her… a lot actually. Okay, so maybe she wasn't the love of my life, but it still hurt. As for the child – that's the first time I ever heard about it. Could Carol have been pregnant at the time we split up? Yeah, maybe. Though it's hard to imagine her being careless that's just not… Carol. She's always careful, in anything. Anyway, if she was, she didn't tell me about it."

"She might not have known it herself," Bones threw in. "Clever scientist or not, most women don't notice it for the first few weeks, unless they're waiting to get pregnant; and she certainly wasn't. But it's hard to believe that she wouldn't have contacted you later, once she found out."

"No, actually it isn't," Jim replied darkly, "it's exactly the thing Carol would do. She didn't want me in her live anymore, she made that quite clear. If the kid is mine, though, I'm astonished that she even decided to keep it."

"Why exactly did you break up?" Chris asked.

Jim shrugged. "She said I was crowding her and that I was hindering her studies and her career. Oh – and she accused me of cheating on her."

"Surprise, surprise," Bones muttered.

Jim shot him a dirty look. "For your information – I didn't."

"Then how did she get the idea?"

"I don't know. Maybe she's insane or something…? I'd say that's a really possibility, considering that the person she thought I was having an affair with is Spock."

At that, Chris and Bones exchanged a quick, but very meaningful glance.

"Well," Chris said slowly, "It isn't that hard to see how someone who spends a lot of time with you could get that idea."

"Huh?" Jim frowned in confusion. "Come on! He's my first officer!"

"Among other things," Bones retorted.

"What the hell…? Are you saying you also think that I'm secretly in love with Spock?"

"No. I don't know about you. What I do know is that Spock's not-so-secretly in love with you."

* * *

_Hi, everyone! Thank you so much for your reviews on the last few chapters. I'm glad you're still following this story and I hope you like where it's going. So now Jim knows about David... and Spock. The next chapter will feature his reaction, as well as Spock's conversation with Sarek..._


	11. Sons and Lovers

_- "Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired." –_

_Robert Frost_

* * *

Jim had been staring at them for a flat minute now, opening and closing his mouth several times like a fish on dry land gasping for air. Leonard was starting to wonder if it might be prudent to get his medical kit ready. They waited for another minute, before they finally heard Jim whisper: "That's not possible."

"Um… sometimes you're weird, Jim. You're not all that surprised by the astonishing idea that your ex-girlfriend has been hiding a baby – your baby, but you're surprised by the blatantly obvious fact that your first officer has an epic crush on you. For heaven's sake, Jim, you see the guy every day; he's your closest companion. Even Chris, me and Sarek, who rarely get to see either of you, noticed it, so how the hell could you have missed it?"

"I didn't… I mean… it's Spock! He's Vulcan. And straight."

"No, actually, he's only half-Vulcan. As for his sexual orientation – how do you know? Did you ever ask him?"

"No! Of course not. But he's been with Nyota."

"So…? I was married to Jocelyn."

"It's not possible!" Jim insisted, violently shaking his head.

Leonard rolled his eyes, then exchanged a glance with Chris. "And this is the guy who lectured _us_ about being in denial a couple of years ago…"

Chris bent forward, reaching across the table to touch Jim's hand. "You're shocked by this, aren't you? More shocked than by the fact that you might be a father."

"Well, you have to admit that the latter was way more likely to happen," Jim replied with a somewhat shaky attempt at irony. "I mean, honestly… Spock…? What am I supposed to do now?"

"How do you feel about him?"

"Apart from you guys, he's my best friend. I trust him with my life and the lives of my crew. I also admire him – I mean, he's got an amazing brain, and he's also one of the bravest people I know. I like spending time with him, on and off duty. When he isn't trying to kill me, he's a great guy."

Leonard studied his best friend's face, thinking _who do you think you're kidding here, Jim?_ He was about to say something, when he heard Chris state calmly: "You're lying, Jim."

Leonard sent a brief, amused look at his husband. _Well, trust Chris to be frank._

"You're lying," Chris repeated, "either to me or to yourself, but it doesn't really matter. Jim, I think we all know that Spock means a lot more to you than that. In the past five years, I haven't had a conversation with you, in which his name didn't come up at least once. You have rarely been separated from him for more than three days in a row, and if you were, it was either because he was at some science conference, or either of you had been taken hostage by a hostile alien species. You even spend shoreleave together; and one would think that you get to see enough of one another on the job. And don't tell me you were never jealous of Nyota. I've seen you give her plenty of death glares, even after she and Spock had broken up. They are still very close, and you are just as jealous of Nyota, as Spock is of Leonard. It's natural."

"So you're saying that you're jealous of Jim, too?" Leonard asked in an attempt rescue Jim from Chris' scrutinizing gaze and give him a moment to recover.

Chris shook his head. "Special case. I'm married to my son's best friend."

"You do realize how weird that sounds, don't you?"

Chris shrugged, returning his gaze to Jim. "Well?"

Jim swallowed hard. "I'm not in love with Spock."

Leonard sighed. "Fine. Call it whatever you want. Fact is, he's in love with you, and it's bothering him. And right now, he's probably having the Vulcan equivalent of our conversation with Sarek."

Jim looked up abruptly, his expression almost shocked. "Sarek knows?"

"Of course he does. Didn't I just say that? Relax, Jim. He's not going to rip Spock's head off. Actually, Sarek appears to be a lot more tolerant than we thought."

Jim didn't seem convinced. "Let's hope so," he murmured. "I'd hate to have to go looking for a new first officer."

"Yeah, like that is the only reason you're worried about him," Leonard replied, sarcasm heavy in his voice.

* * *

Spock was idly pushing the leftovers of his vegetarian paella back and forth across his plate, trying to avoid his father's stoic gaze. Sarek sat across from him, waiting for him to speak. Spock had tried to avoid having this conversation for months, and he was still trying to find a way out of it, but unfortunately, his father appeared to be infinitely patient.

_Why is it so important to you?_ Spock thought irritably. _It is bad enough without any paternal interference, why do you have to make things worse?_

"It should be your mother… " Sarek said suddenly, out of the blue.

Spock looked up, startled. "I beg your pardon, father?"

"This conversation," Sarek elaborated, his hand moving in an almost apologetic gesture, "You have always been more comfortable discussing emotional matters with Amanda."

_And that surprises you…?_ Spock thought, torn between bewilderment and annoyance.

"It does not exactly qualify as a conversation when we are not actually conversing, does it?" He pointed out.

"I was hoping you would tell me what has been troubling you these past months," his father replied calmly. "However, seeing that you are reluctant to do so, I will proceed to giving you the answers to the question you have not asked, but should have. Is that acceptable to you?"

_Do I have a choice? _Spock nodded slowly.

"Very well. You are troubled, because of the changes your relationship with James Kirk has undergone. You have never experienced a similar emotional unrest before and are at once embarrassed and upset by it. You are afraid that the nature of your feelings could reflect negatively on your working relationship with your Captain and his career, as well as your own. You are also worried about my reaction. I can put your mind at ease concerning the latter question: while I cannot argue that I would have preferred Nyota Uhura as your chosen partner, I have no objections against James Kirk. Also, it is not my right to interfere with my son's love life, and I have no desire to do so."

Spock was momentarily taken aback by this statement, but once he recovered, he had his doubts about its sincerity. "You tried with Sybok," he remarked.

Sarek sighed softly. "And we have both seen the results of that, have we not? I do not wish to alienate my second son the way I did my eldest."

Spock felt a pang of guilt at that. It was rare for his father to actually admit a mistake, and it showed that he still wasn't over Sybok's rebellion and subsequent disappearance. "I am not my brother," he stated.

"I am aware of that," Sarek replied, "You are in fact, very different… and yet in some ways so very much alike. If your time permits, I would like to introduce you to your niece tomorrow. She is quite an astonishing child, and I promised her she would get to meet you."

It didn't happen very often that Spock was too stunned to speak in coherent sentences, but this was one of those times. "My… what…? Sybok has a daughter… but…"

Sarek raised an amused eyebrow. "Fascinating. You are showing the exact same reaction I experienced when I learned of her existence. Yet it is true. Her name is Delia, and she is indeed the daughter of your brother. She is also part Orion. Hence my thought that the two of you must be more alike than I ever imagined you could be. It appears that my sons are simply not content with a Vulcan mate."

"Maybe, we are merely following your example", Spock said with one of his rare human smiles, as he remembered his mother. She would probably have appreciated the twisted humor in this entire affair. And she would certainly have been thrilled to meet her granddaughter… or step-granddaughter.

"Of course I will see her," he added in an afterthought.

"Good." Sarek nodded. "In the meantime, I strongly suggest that you let go of the notion of me being displeased with you, merely because you heed to your mother's advice. I believe she would be very disappointed to see you this troubled and hesitant." He paused for a moment, as if considering something, before adding: "Of course, she might also be amused."

"I find nothing amusing in my current situation," Spock replied with a very Vulcan almost-frown.

"Obviously not, but I am quite convinced she would have laughed at you. She never had much patience with Vulcan emotional struggles."

"She was human. Humans are never patient."

"An annoying, but also somewhat intriguing quality," Sarek replied. "But I digress. I believe you have questions to ask me."

"Do I?" Spock asked, displeased by his father's all-knowing superiority.

Sarek just looked at him unblinking, and Spock resigned after a couple of minutes. It didn't seem to matter that he was an adult now, responsible, self-relying, Starfleet hero and scientific genius; his father would always in some way remain the towering, formidable personality he had been in Spock's childhood.

"I am… confused," Spock admitted. "I am troubled by the intensity of my feelings for Jim. I have never experienced anything similar. My relationship with Nyota was entirely different."

"You did not love her."

"Maybe. I never was in pain when I was with her."

"In pain?" Sarek echoed. "Is that meant as a figure of speech, or do you really experience physical discomfort?"

"The latter. It is… a strange thing. Sometimes, when I am with Jim I suffer from random pain."

Sarek seemed alarmed. "Do these occurrences appear to be triggered by anything in particular?"

"As I said, it appears to be random. Even though in several cases, I experienced sudden stabs of pain when Jim was away. When I later investigated the matter, it turned out that during each of these occurrences, he was in imminent physical danger."

Sarek gave a slight nod, as if this reply was consistent with his theory. "You were right to feel apprehensive, Spock."

"Why?"

"Because an incomplete bond poses an unpredictable danger to both parties."

"I never tried to bond with Jim," Spock protested.

"Not consciously, maybe," Sarek replied, "but it can happen unconsciously. And what you just told me would be consistent with the most common symptoms. They also include anxiety, migraines, and sudden bouts of vertigo."

"Is Jim in any danger?"

"It is hard to say, since he is not Vulcan. With your permission, I will consult with one of our physicians on New Vulcan. I will not mention your name, or Captain Kirk's."

Spock nodded. "That would be acceptable."

"Very well. You should also have a conversation with your Captain. And soon."

* * *

_Okay, to make up for the cliffie I left you with, I really tried to hurry this time. I hope you like the way this chapter turned out._


	12. Girl Talk

_- "The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together." –_

_William Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well_

* * *

"What are Dad and Chris up to?" Joana asked Nyota, who had come to pick her up.

Nyota grinned. "They're busy taking your big brother apart."

"Jim? Uh, what's he done now?"

"Actually, I'm not supposed to tell you that. Not yet anyway. Sorry Jo."

Joana frowned, looking remarkably like her Dad as she did so. "That's not fair," she protested.

"Yeah, I know. But I promised. You can needle Jim about it, once your parents let him go."

"Poor Jim," Joana replied gleefully, "Dad can be really mean when he's upset… and if you actually manage to get Chris angry – which is pretty hard work – you had better duck and run."

"Does he ever get angry at you?"

Joana shook her head. "Nah. I've got him wrapped around my little finger. He'll even defend me when Dad gets into one of his tyrannical moods. But I saw him get mad at Laurel once, and that was really, really scary. Wow" – she stopped short in her tracks – "Ambassador Sarek has a really nice house!"

"It's called a residence," Nyota said, looking up at the magnificent white building, "as ambassador, he often has to receive guests or hold receptions, that's why he needs so big a house. The official part is fairly splendid, but he doesn't actually live there."

"It's just for show, huh? So Delia lives here with him now?"

"For the moment. I don't know whether or not it's going to be a permanent arrangement. Sarek is often away, and he's very busy. Delia needs somebody who can stay with her, and he obviously can't."

"Doesn't she have any other family?"

"Only Spock. "

Joana snorted. "I like Spock, but he couldn't raise a puppy, and much less somebody who's half human. He doesn't understand that people actually need to be hugged or comforted sometimes."

Nyota grinned. "No, I guess he doesn't. Jim might teach him, though."

"Jim?" Joana's blue eyes grew round and very large. "You're kidding, right? I mean, Jim likes Spock, but not that way… does he? Whoa – was that the thing you weren't supposed to tell me? You just let it slip, didn't you? Damn… that would mean Spock could become my brother-in-law, couldn't it?"

"The family connection is a bit dubious, but technically, it could."

"Oh, wow."

At first, Nyota thought that this last remark referred to the possibility of Spock and Jim becoming a couple, but when she looked up, she realized that it was more likely Joana had meant something else. They had entered the lobby of Ambassador Sarek's residence, which was a splendid enough room in itself, but right now, it only appeared to serve as the frame for one of the most astonishing pictures she had ever seen.

There were two sets of gently curving stairways leading down from the first floor, and at their entrance, somebody had started to descend one of them. She had stopped on one of the bottommost steps and now stood there, silently erect and upright like a statue.

Nyota had seen her fair share of Vulcan formal and ceremonial robes during the time of her acquaintance with Spock, but never had she seen one worn with such natural grace and elegance. The robe itself was a masterpiece of Vulcan tailoring and embroidery, a work of art, and there was jewelry to match, but both only served to enhance the natural beauty of the girl wearing it.

"She looks like a princess," Joana whispered in awe.

"In a way, she is," Nyota replied just as quietly. "Both Sarek and her grandmother are descended from very influential families, and one might call them noble."

_But Gaila's daughter… who'd have thought…?_

"So… what do we do now…?" Joana asked, suddenly feeling shy.

"I suppose, we could say hello," Nyota replied smiling, and slowly advanced to meet the girl on the steps. "I am Nyota Uhura," she introduced herself, "and this is Joana McCoy. Your grandfather might have mentioned that we would come to visit one of these days."

"He has," Delia replied, nodding, while her eyes were busy studying the strangers with barely veiled curiosity. "I'm sorry that he isn't here right now, he is…"

"… having lunch with Spock. Yes, I know," Nyota said. "But never mind. We came to visit you. I have to admit that I was insanely curious to meet you. I was friends with your Mom when we both went to the Academy. We even shared a room for about half a year."

"Really?" Delia asked, her dark eyes lighting up. "You need to tell me about her… I mean, if you would…" She suddenly seemed insecure.

Nyota smiled reassuringly. "Sure. I liked Gaila a lot, even though she was a little crazy. But in a nice way. She kept bringing boys back to our room. I really do need to tell you the story of how she hid Jim under her bed and I came in and found him."

"No way! You found Jim hiding under the bed?" Joana interrupted, mirth shining on her face. "Oh, I'd have loved to have been there!"

"Oh, I'm sure," Nyota replied chuckling. "Well, come on, girls. Let's sit outside in the garden – I remember there's a nice terrace out back – and I can tell you about my wild Academy days."

Both Joana and Delia looked intensely interested at that prospect and turned to follow her through the lobby and out onto the terrace. As they did so, Delia stepped down the stairs and past Joana, accidentally brushing her arm with a hand. She stopped as if suddenly frozen, her lips forming a silent O. Joana herself merely registered a strange, but brief tingling sensation, frowned and then thought nothing more of it. Nyota did not notice anything.

But Delia's eyes kept wandering off to the other girl all through the afternoon, even as she was eagerly listening to stories about her mother, and silent wonder shone in her eyes.

* * *

Roughly four thousand kilometers away, Carol Marcus was on her way to pick up her son from his day care, when she ran into somebody she had hoped to never meet again.

"You!"

"Hello Carol." Peace Lafayette smiled sweetly at her. On her hip, she carried a somewhat bedazzled-looking little boy. "I thought I'd save you the trouble and get David for you."

"Get away from me and my son! I told you to leave us alone, didn't I?" Carol replied hotly, reaching out for David. "I can't believe they even let you take him!"

"I can be very persuasive," Peace assured her. "In fact, you seem to be the only one who's determined to resist my many charms. You think I'm evil incarnate, don't you? But don't worry, I'm not here to kidnap your son. Here, take him." And she handed David to his furious mother.

"Why won't you leave us alone?" Carol asked defensively.

"Because in my opinion, every child has a right to get to know his father."

"And much good would that do him! His father is…"

"… a self-absorbed jerk fond of infantile jokes, not even properly grown-up himself and certainly not ready to raise a child?"

"I was going to say _dead_", Carol muttered.

"Oh come on, Carol. We both know that'd have been a lie. David's father is very much alive. Now, I realize that this can't be easy for you, but don't you think you should at least give them a chance? David and Jim, I mean? It's not like Jim's likely to take your son away from you, given his position."

"You don't understand," Carol replied stubbornly, "I don't want to meet Jim. I took a lot of pains to completely rid my life of him and to evade him ever since we broke up. I don't want to go back, take that road again. I've been there."

"Nobody's asking you to marry Jim. You don't even have to be friendly, not even civil to him. You can be as mean and insulting as you want to, and who knows, he might even deserve it, but you need to leave David out of it. It's not his fault that his parents had a nasty break-up. He shouldn't have to pay for it."

"Why is it so important to you that David gets to know his father? It's none of your business, really."

"I sort of made it my business. I've been friends with Jim and his family for a while now, and I think you don't realize what sort of opportunity you're missing, Carol. You're making a mistake. You are alone now, and it can't be easy, single-parenting a child while pursuing your studies. You can't properly concentrate on either David or your work. And you have nobody to help you."

Carol pressed her lips together tightly, but it hard to deny the truth of Peaces words.

"Think about it," Peace insisted, "You have no family left yourself, save that brother of yours, but he's not exactly somebody you could depend on, always jumping around in search of a new amusement; and I'm guessing that you've sacrificed most of your friendships – if you ever had any – in favor of your career. Must be pretty lonely sometimes. That's probably why you fell for Jim so easily… pretty stupid thing to do, really, and you generally aren't stupid. But don't worry, it happens to the best of us." She smiled wryly.

Carol raised her brows. "You, too?"

"Well, he _is_ sort of gorgeous, isn't he? Never mind that, though. It was a fling, and rather short-lived. The same person that ruined your relationship with Jim stepped into my way, too. But since he's a friend, I have to add that he didn't do it on purpose."

Carol snorted. "Yeah, right. I was sure he'd kill me some way or other if I stayed around any longer. Probably some messy, painful way. At least, that's what his looks told me, every time he saw Jim and me together."

Peace chuckled. "He _is _a little possessive of Jim."

"A little? Really, I've no desire whatsoever to meet either Jim or Spock ever again."

"They're not that bad, once you figure out how to handle them. The trick with Jim is ignoring his sly comments and flirting and occasionally smacking him for being too obnoxious. The secret of dealing with Spock is making sure he knows that you'll leave Jim alone, so he doesn't feel threatened. He's a nice guy, once you get past the murderous-jealousy-stage."

"I can't believe I'm having this conversation with you."

Peace grinned. "It's just like two girls gossiping about a former lover, isn't it? Actually, this is Chris' fault. I'm probably doing this for him more than for anybody else. Gee, I feel like a schoolgirl with a crush on her favorite teacher. Actually, that description is maddeningly close to the truth." She sighed. "I must be masochistic or something. First an unnerving egomaniac who's in love with somebody else, and now a guy old enough to be my father who's actually married and has no interest in women at all…"

"Fitting description of Jim," Carol commented. "Who's that other guy?"

"Chris… Christopher Pike. I told you about him last time. He's really, really sweet. Well… most gay men are, actually. Come to think of it, even Spock is kinda cute. Anyway, Chris briefly became my boss several years back, when he had made up his mind to become ambassador to Romulus. In the end, he didn't go there, though, and instead returned to Earth and married Leonard. Unfortunately. No, I'm kidding. They make a lovely couple. You'll like them… okay; actually it's pretty difficult not to like them. Chris has been trying to get to you, ever since he learned of David's existence. Right now, he and Leonard are probably having a very stern talk with Jimmy-boy concerning his youthful follies."

"That sounds very paternal to me."

"Well, it is. Chris didn't adopt Jim in an act of caprice. They really are like father and son. So you're not only getting a father, but also a set of grandparents for your son. And an aunt… kind of. Leonard has a daughter, Joana. She's in her teens now. Come on Carol, you really don't want to miss that. They're ready to welcome you and David to the family. Give them a chance."

Peace looked at her expectantly.

Carol struggled a moment, then shrugged. "I might give it a try," she replied grudgingly.

"Good girl," Peace complimented.

* * *

_So that was a chapter on the girls ;) You've probably noticed that I rather like Peace. Normally, I'm not that fond of original characters in fanfiction, but she's an exception. I'm starting to like Carol, too, which is weird, because I've always hated her. Also, I needed an explanation for Peaces involvement in the entire matter - let's be honest, she's been a little too interested in little David's fate - so I came up with the idea of her having something of a crush on Chris. It's not that improbable, I think. _


	13. Clarification

_- Love hath so long possessed me for his own  
And made his lordship so familiar. -_

_(Dante Alighieri)_

* * *

"Is Jim here? Nyota said he was." Joana looked around as if she was expecting her substitute brother to hide inside a wardrobe or behind a door.

"He went outside to catch some fresh air. He's got a lot to think about right now," Chris told her.

Joana grinned broadly. "Awww… it's about Spock, isn't it? Nyota told me. It's so cute."

"Cute isn't exactly the word I would have used to describe anything that Spock is involved in," Chris muttered.

"Pah. Spock's gorgeous. And you know, I think a big part of that always-logical, unemotional, all-Vulcany stuff is just acting. I bet, Jim could make him blush, if he tried real hard… but then – Jim could probably make everybody blush."

"Oh, I'm sure. Still… Spock is definitely not cute. Puppies are. Little girls with pigtails. Fully grown Vulcans? Hardly."

Joana looked at him, considering this for a moment. "It's okay," she then said, shrugging, "after all, you're not really supposed to think he's cute: you're married."

Chris raised his brows. "Trust me, if I wanted to make your Dad jealous, I'd certainly not do it by flirting with Spock. It would be pointless anyway. Spock wouldn't understand it and Leonard would probably die with laughter."

Leonard, who had just entered the room and heard that last statement, snorted. "I was just trying to imagine the look on Spock's face… maybe one day, when you're really bored, you ought to try it."

"No thanks," Chris replied drily, "I have no desire whatsoever to meet an untimely death by patricide."

Leonard shrugged. "Okay, you may have a point there… anyway, I was about to ask you both when you'd like to have supper."

"Not hungry yet," Joana replied, shaking her head.

"I don't particularly care. And I seriously doubt that Jim will be in the mood for supper anytime soon."

"We could invite Spock," Joana suggested helpfully.

"Let's not push it, shall we? Besides, Spock has just had lunch with Sarek. I doubt that he's up to another meet-the-parents-thing," Leonard said. Then, changing topics to prevent his daughter from coming up with any more creative ideas to "help" Jim and Spock, he asked: "Speaking of Sarek – how was your afternoon?"

"I didn't see Sarek. But I did get to meet Delia. And Nyota told us stories about Delia's Mom and their time at the Academy. Did you know that Jim once had to hide under the bed, because Gaila was afraid Nyota would find out that they were having an affair?" Joana was positively glowing with malicious glee.

Chris raised his eyebrows at Leonard. "She's your daughter alright."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Leonard protested, playfully tackling Chris, who was easily able to defend himself, but didn't try very hard.

Joana laughed as she watched them. "I love you guys. And you're supposed to be grown up…?"

* * *

A light breeze was rustling through the blooming lilac trees bordering the southern side of the garden. It carried their scent across the gently curving lawns down- and eastwards to the hammock Joana had put up between the two old basswood trees and where Jim had sat down after strolling back and forth trough the garden, trying to sort out his troubled thoughts. He had not been very successful.

Even though part of his astonishment at the afternoon's disclosure had been faked, he felt agitated enough. Chris had been right of course – Jim's interest in Spock was about as platonic as Nyota's relationship with Scotty – but Jim had been quite comfortable trying to deny it for the past few months. After all, falling for his first officer was out of the question. It was unprofessional, scandalous and quite possibly a health risk.

Jim had never tried to hide the fact that he was seriously impressed by Spock's abilities and that – after some initial misunderstandings had been sorted out – he had started to genuinely like the man. Unfortunately, though, 'like' and 'admire' had by now turned into something far too close to 'love' for his comfort. And while it might have been okay to love Spock like a friend and brother, it was definitely not okay to view him as a potential partner.

Falling in love with a fellow officer was problematic at best. Falling in love with your half-Vulcan SIC was nothing short of emotional suicide. Not to mention that it could very well put a quick end to his career as a Starfleet Captain.

_If I admit to being in love with Spock, one of us will have to leave the ship_, Jim thought, _and since I'm in charge, and sort of responsible for all of them, it had better be me. Spock would make a good captain. In fact, Chris wanted him to become captain initially. _

He could not imagine leaving the _Enterprise _and his crew, though. He could not imagine leaving Spock either. The mere thought of it produced an almost physical pain.

_It's never been this bad_,Jim reflected_, love always was a sort of game… something light and funny and easy, a pleasant distraction, especially when accompanied by good sex… but I've never lost much sleep over it. Sure, I was mad when Carol left – mainly because of the way she left – but other than that, it never caused me much pain._

In hindsight, it felt like some irony of fate that Carol had been jealous of Spock. Maybe even at that time, she had known his heart better than he had known it himself.

A soft cough roused him from his thoughts. He looked up, only to see the object of his musings standing on the lawn a few feet away, watching him from unreadable dark eyes.

"Spock…?" Jim asked, feeling dumbfounded. "How did you get here?"

"I entered by the door," Spock replied serenely. "I met Nyota at my father's house after we returned from having lunch together and she told me I would find you here."

"So… how was lunch with your father…?" Jim asked, trying to focus his mind on polite small talk.

Spock looked at him for a moment as if considering his reply. "I believe the appropriate question would have been: 'Why did you come looking for me in the first place?' But since you asked for my opinion on my meeting with Sarek, I can tell you that it was… enlightening. "

_That… sounds a little ominous… especially considering what Chris and Bones said about Sarek knowing of this little charade… I'm so screwed…_

Jim swallowed hard. "Let me guess – he's not very happy right now?"

The eyebrow went up, but only a little. "I do not know whether or not my father is happy, but he did appear both amused and concerned at some point during our conversation." Spock paused for a moment, before adding: "He also showed a generous amount of paternal condescension."

"He'd probably get along well with Chris and Bones. Is he mad at me? If he's considering to file a formal complaint with Starfleet Command, I'd rather know about it now."

"I can assure you that is not his intention. In fact, the only sentiment he expressed regarding you was concern for your well-being." Usually the use of such formal language was a sure sign indicating that Spock was embarrassed. The more formal it got, the more uncomfortable he felt. Right now he had to be feeling very uncomfortable, and even though Jim could hardly blame him given their situation, he was starting to get a little annoyed.

"Why?"

It was easy to see that Spock was not happy with such a direct question and would have preferred to step around it, but Jim held his gaze, demanding an equally direct answer.

Spock sighed, which was shocking enough in itself, but his next words were probably the most surprising ever to leave his mouth. "Jim, I have made a mistake."

_Oookay… something has gone wrong. Very wrong. Since when does Spock use my first name, when not expressly asked to do so? Besides, Spock doesn't make mistakes. Nor does he openly admit it._

"Did you kill somebody? Start a war? Blow up the ship while I wasn't looking? It has to be something serious, or you wouldn't have come right away, instead of trying to fix it yourself."

Spock inclined his head. "I am afraid it is not something I could fix," he replied quietly.

Jim felt his heartbeat speed up. _Idiot!_ he chastised himself, _what are you hoping for?_

"I am very sorry," Spock continued, "I should have recognized the signs myself, or at least have done something about it. I should not have needed my father to tell me that I was jeopardizing your health and sanity."

"Er… could you please clarify…? I have no idea what you're talking about, unless this is some really weird declaration of love, and I don't think it is, because you would never admit that, either… and I actually didn't mean to say that, so just forget the last part… aw, fuck.." Jim looked at Spock in frustration, his hands half raised in a helpless, unfinished gesture.

They eyebrows went up all the way. "You are a most curious creature," Spock said in a voice that held as much amusement as bewilderment, "I have never understood the way you think, but it does not appear to be a linear process… you are always jumping to conclusions, when you have virtually no evidence to support your theories, and the infuriating thing about it is that no matter how illogical the concept appears to be, you are often right. It is absolutely fascinating… which might be part of the problem we are now faced with."

"I'm not sure whether that was an insult or a compliment," Jim replied. There was something in the way Spock's dark eyes rested on his face that made his stomach do nervous little flips and would probably send his heart into cardiac arrest if this went on much longer.

"It was a compliment." There was also a new, velvety quality to Spock's voice. The words fell softly, cushioned by some half-conscious emotion, each one leaving an imprint in the following silence. Jim moved closer as if drawn by some invisible force.

"What are you doing, Jim?"

"I don't know", Jim replied truthfully. "All I know is that it's probably a very bad idea and that you should stop me. That's your job, isn't it?" They stood very close now, almost touching.

"I can't," Spock replied, apparently confused enough to use a contraction.

Jim nodded slowly, and then reached out, drawing an arm around his shoulders and leaning in to kiss him. The first thing he noticed when he touched Spock was a brief tingling sensation, followed by an overwhelming feeling of warmth and familiarity. It was as if something that had been incomplete for a long time was finally finished. The pieces of a great, unknown puzzle settled into place, forming a new and comprehensible picture. It was hard to separate his own emotions from Spock's, and after a brief struggle, he gave it up entirely. It seemed strangely unimportant. He was home at last.

"You love me," Spock said, and Jim felt his astonishment.

"Now who is jumping to conclusions?" He teased, before adding: "It appears to be mutual, though."

"I am glad."

"I know. I can feel it… gee that sounds weird, but it's true. I can feel _you_. Everything you feel, think, are. I knew Vulcans are touch-telepaths, but I've touched you before and it's never been like this. What's different?"

"The bond. As long as it lasts, you will be able to feel what I feel every time we touch, and even if we don't, depending on how strong the emotion is. You may even, to some extent, be able to read my mind, and I yours."

"You do that all the time… hold on, what's that supposed to mean _'as long as it lasts'_? That doesn't have a nice ring – feel – to it." He felt Spock squirm a little, both physically and mentally.

"Assuming that you are not planning on attending a Vulcan marriage ceremony in the imminent future, it will have to be unmade, or it could cause you serious harm."

"Serious as in – uh, no, that doesn't sound pleasant. Has that really happened before…? Wait… so you didn't to this on purpose? It was an accident?"

Spock nodded. "As was falling in love with you."

"But the two aren't necessarily linked, are they? I mean, you never formed a bond like this with Nyota."

"It appears that we were not compatible."

"So it's rare to happen accidentally? What does that mean…? And how can it be unmade? Spock…? What are you trying to hide from me? I can feel that you _are_ hiding something, you know."

He felt Spock's grip tighten a little and a shockwave of pain and regret washed over his mind, as the Vulcan tried to control his feelings… and failed.

"It is very rare. It may also be dangerous, and breaking a bond can be a painful process. I… I do not want to see you suffer for my mistakes."

"What was that about your father…?"

"My father's first marriage… it failed when he met my mother. The bond between him and his first wife was broken, and they suffered, even though they had never loved each other. So did my brother. My mother never knew about it… father kept it from her. He did not want her to feel guilty."

"But that happens among humans, too, you know. The end of a relationship or a marriage is rarely pleasant."

"I do not think you fully comprehend the nature of a Vulcan bond, Jim. It is not a symbolic act like an engagement ceremony. It is a physical emphatic and telepathic link. It allows the participants to share feelings and thoughts, but also physical pain… and pleasure."

"You would be blushing right now, if you were human… actually, you _are _blushing." Jim grinned, but then turned back to more serious matters. "So to sum it up – you did not want this bond to happen. Nevertheless, it did. You came here tonight to tell me about the necessity of having it severed, but you are afraid that it will cause me harm… and you are afraid to lose me…" He looked up, seeking confirmation in Spock's eyes, even though he felt it through the bond.

"Yes."

"Have you ever considered not breaking it?"

He had, judging from the sentiments of fear and regret, mingled with reluctant hope. "It would not be… prudent."

"Maybe we should go inside to join Bones and Chris and have a nice little chat about the pleasures of imprudent decisions."


	14. The Bond

_- "Can Wisdom be put in a silver rod?  
Or Love in a golden bowl?" -_

_William Blake, "The Book of Thel"_

* * *

The house was quiet when they finally went back inside. Almost a little _too_ quiet. Jim had half expected Joana to assault them the moment they stepped into her sight – his adopted little sister, if you could call her that (and she insisted on calling him her big brother), was a little too curious for her own good and everybody else's peace of mind. Poor Bones. Sometimes, Jim really didn't envy him the task of explaining the world to Jo.

The silence did feel a little ominous, and Jim hid a sigh of relief when Chris stepped into sight. He had probably been standing by the window, seeing them walk back towards the house and waited for them. He greeted them quietly in his usual calm manner. Chris was very good at not showing his emotions, especially, if he deemed them inappropriate, and curiosity about his adoptive son's love life was certainly inappropriate from his point of view. Chris was a firm believer in discreetness. Nevertheless, Jim felt certain that he was concerned, and probably even worried.

_Hell, I can't blame him. Spock is probably not what he had in mind as a future son-in-law, and considering that we've never talked about my preferences, I guess he was hoping for a daughter-in-law and grandkids. Well… looks like he got the latter, even though it was by accident only. But Spock…? Chris likes Spock, but he would be the first to point out that any kind of intimate relationship between captain and first officer would be scandalous…_

"You seem troubled," Spock said, interrupting Jim's train of thought. Jim was about to reply _Duh, what did you expect?,_ when he realized that the question hadn't been addressed at him.

"A little," Chris admitted. "Your father arrived not long after you, looking somewhat anxious. And to see _Sarek _worrying worries me."

"I'm surprised he even knows how to do that," Jim commented, and instantly sensed Spock's disapproval through their new link. "Sorry," he apologized briefly, "but it's true – your father is the single most composed person I know."

"He's upstairs," Chris told them, "Leonard is keeping him company. It was a hard piece of work to convince Sarek to leave you alone. He wanted to rush into the garden and protect his son from the unwholesome effects of true love. It was even harder to prevent Joana from throwing you a spontaneous party – it's a good thing Sarek brought Nyota and Delia, otherwise you'd have been rudely interrupted by a nosy little sister. She has already announced that she'll be your wedding planner. You'll have to give Nyota plenty of love for distracting her tonight… she took the little menace and the little princess out to watch a movie."

"Well, thank heavens – or Nyota – for that. Hold on – why is Jo in on all this?"

Chris smiled. "Jim – she's thirteen. Everything remotely related to intimate relationships interests her right now. Besides, she is just as smart as her father and twice as insistent."

"And I thought Bones was bad. How do you survive between the two of them?"

Another wry smile. "I manage. Even though I preferred to go downstairs for a little while instead of listening to Leonard and Sarek carry on their conversation." He looked over at Spock. "They have been discussing you from a medical point of view for the last hour or so. I think by now, they must be down to the cellular level. Trust me, it was unpleasant. I learned things I never wanted to know."

The look on Spock's face was almost comical, but the wave of displeasure that flooded through the bond, was not. "I totally agree," Jim said, frowning, "parents can be a real pain sometimes."

"They do have your best interests in mind, though. As does everybody else… Nyota has already called in twice, asking me to check on you and to see if everything was okay. I don't know what she's thinking, but apparently she knows something I don't and it's making her a bit edgy." He raised his brows at both of them. "I think, it's time we all sat down for a little chat."

"Can I go back to being an orphan?" Jim asked, rolling his eyes. "Have you all been talking and conspiring behind our backs?"

"Pretty much," Chris replied, shrugging. "Even though Sarek would violently refuse the notion that he'd been part of a conspiracy. We weren't expecting his visit, either. He appeared on the doorstep, not too long after you had arrived, Spock, and as I said, he seemed worried. But since he was being what Joana calls 'all-Vulcany' about it, there was no way to find out what had ruffled his feathers, until Leonard started asking those medical questions. Now, I've got no medical expertise whatsoever, and I usually blindly trust Leonard with my health and sanity, but from what I gathered, this _is_ a serious matter. Don't get me wrong, no one here wants to meddle with your private life – or at least Leonard and I don't, I don't know about Sarek – and I myself would be perfectly content with whatever makes the two of you happy, but I would prefer if nobody got hurt in the process."

"That is reasonable," Spock said, nodding.

"I'm glad you approve. Anyway, be prepared for a rather awkward, unpleasant conversation. I'd have preferred to skip both the 'meet-the-parents'-routine and the 'are-you-sure-you-know-what-you're-doing?'-talk, but it seems that we are going to have them anyway. But Jim, since you and I have been through plenty of unpleasant conversations in your Academy time, it will feel rather familiar." He winked, and Jim groaned.

"You're actually enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Only a tiny little bit. Of course, it would be a lot more fun if there weren't a real possibility of one or both of you getting hurt due to weird Vulcan neurological phenomena. Come on. Let's not keep Sarek waiting. There's no way to be sure, but he _did_ seem a little impatient."

* * *

"There you are," Leonard greeted Jim and Spock when they entered the room. "I was starting to wonder whether we'd have to fish you out of the goldfish pond." He looked at them for a moment, before noticing: "You seem awfully quiet, both of you."

"Whereas you, doctor, are as annoyingly eloquent as ever," Spock countered.

"Don't be insulting, you do know my first name. I've even heard you use it when you thought I wasn't listening. Now, for the interesting part – everybody has been awaiting your entry with avid expectation. Are you both well?"

"Are you kidding?" Jim asked, feeling more than a little annoyed by all this.

"No, actually it was a serious question. You see, we've all been _slightly_ worried."

"Do I hear sarcasm in your voice?" Spock asked, frown lines forming on his forehead.

"Oh, absolutely. Why the hell didn't you tell anyone, Spock? An uncontrolled, possibly defective bond is no laughing matter. It could have seriously harmed you or Jim. And don't tell me you didn't know or at least suspect, that's bullshit. You've known how a bond works all your life, how it's formed, and even what can go wrong. Your parents made sure you knew, because they couldn't be certain how your mixed heritage would affect your ability to bond with someone. And because at least one of them knew how badly things can go wrong." He looked at Sarek, who sat across the table, his long, slender fingers toying with a teaspoon.

Everything in Jim protested that this wasn't Spock's fault, and he wanted to rush to his defense, but Spock shook his head. _Don't_. The sentiment was a clear, as if he had clad it in words.

_But they are being unfair!_

Spock briefly touched his hand in a reassuring gesture that did not go unnoticed and caused Sarek to raise an eyebrow. Jim, who knew a Vulcan kiss when he saw one – and was the one being kissed – had to smile despite himself.

At last, Sarek spoke, and his words probably surprised them all. "Love is the most illogical of all emotions," he said, "so I think we cannot blame Spock for being… confused. But you should not have waited so long to tell me."

"Actually, I never told you," Spock replied. "You just assumed. Though correctly, I must add."

"Precisely."

"Well, you do not exactly invite tearful confessions, do you?" Jim asked acidly.

"No, I am afraid, I do not… however, I notice that _you_ did not want to enlighten your family about the nature of your feelings for my son, either."

"To cut this short," Leonard interrupted, "we think you behaved like a right pair of idiots. Nevertheless, everybody here loves you, and is gathered here to help as best we can. Sarek has contacted a Vulcan healer from the colony, and she should be here by tomorrow."

Jim felt Spock's relief, and decided that if Spock felt good about this, he'd go along with it.

"Furthermore, let's clear up some misunderstandings – nobody has any objections about the two of you being in a relationship. That is, if you leave Chris' professional persona as a Starfleet Admiral out, but he left it at the office today, judging that it'd only be in the way."

"Really?" Jim looked at Sarek, unable to conceal his surprise. "You have no objections?"

Sarek smiled briefly, but the smile was genuine, and that in itself was answer enough. "No. I want Spock to be content. If he finds that his happiness lies in being with you, I will accept that. I always suspected that he might be more comfortable with a human mate than a Vulcan one. Humans are a lot more tolerant than Vulcans in some matters."

"And it doesn't bother you that I just happen to be male?"

"If it does not bother me that you are human, why should I be concerned about your gender?"

"Maybe because most parents want to be grandparents one day…?" Jim suggested.

"When I married a human, I knew that I would put an end to my genetic line, unless I fathered any more children of pure Vulcan blood. I fully accepted that fact. Now fate has surprisingly granted me a granddaughter, so I have no reason to be displeased. The only thing that worries me is what this will do to both your health and careers. I am afraid Starfleet has rather strict rules against officers of the same vessel entering a romantic relationship."

"We can deal with the latter in time," Chris cut in. "And I am sure we'll find a solution. For now, I'd like to have Leonard run a few tests on both of you. You seem fine, but let's make sure, shall we?"

"This is probably the most unromantic love story ever," Jim said to Spock. "These guys can take all the fun out of it, and they keep stamping on the roses and bursting the little pink bubbles with all their reasonable talk."

"Pink bubbles?" Sarek asked.

"Never mind. You don't even want to know," Leonard assured him, before turning back to Jim and Spock. "You can make up for it later, Jim. In fact, I am sure you will. For now, let's take care of those scans. I'm sure, we will all sleep better, knowing that you haven't lost your mind yet… not that it'd make much of a difference."

"Can I hurt him?" Jim asked Chris. "Just once. Please. I promise not to do any serious harm."

Chris laughed. "No, I'm afraid I can't permit that. But I'll see what I can do about it. Leonard?" He turned to his husband.

"Huh?"

"Be nice," Chris chided.

* * *

_It just ocurred to me that a "meet the parents"-scene in which all the participants are male would be considered odd everywhere outside of fanfiction. One more reason to love this particular genre ;) I must confess that I'm not entirely happy with the way this last chapter turned out, put I can't exactly pinpoint why. Just tell me what you think about it. Is there anything that seems strange?_


	15. Unity

_- "Love, whether newly-born or aroused from a death-like slumber, must always create a sunshine, filling the hearts so full of radiance, that it overflows upon the outward world. " –_

_Nathaniel Hawthorne in "The Scarlet Letter"_

* * *

"Looks good," Leonard said, gazing at a screen that displayed various brightly colored charts, assorted data and the cheerfully flashing vital sign schematics of both Jim and Spock. "Surprisingly enough, you are both in excellent health and there is nothing particularly alarming about those brain scans. Now, I am neither a neurologist, nor particularly well informed about the nature of Vulcan bonds. A Vulcan might find something different. But for the moment, I think you're in no imminent danger."

"Good to know," Jim murmured. "Thanks, Bones. Though I still don't understand…"

Leonard raised his hands. "Ask Spock. Explaining this is his job, and I couldn't do it if I wanted to. I know preciously little about Vulcan telepathy. You keep that bit of your culture largely to yourselves." He looked at Spock, frowning.

"With good reason," Spock replied.

"Oh, I don't doubt that. But this is different. I think you need to be completely open with Jim at least."

"Since Vulcans cannot lie and his mind is currently linked to mine, keeping secrets is not an option," Spock reminded him.

"Oh, good," Jim said, grinning evilly, "Now I can ask you everything I've always wanted to know, but knew you wouldn't tell me."

Leonard laughed. "I'd like to be a fly on the wall during _that_ conversation."

"I think Christopher would be somewhat disappointed if you turned into a fly," Spock told him, unblinking.

"Was that… humor? Spock, I didn't know you had it in you!" Leonard patted his shoulder, then retreated quickly, fearing retaliation. Spock was anything but fond of casual touches.

Spock looked displeased, but apparently decided not to act upon it.

"Well, I'll leave you to your entertainments, then. Just try not to kill each other. Who knows, humanity, Earth or even the entire Universe might find itself in need of saving again, so we'd all sort of like to keep the two of you around… preferably with all your limbs still attached." Leonard winked at them.

Jim rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, Bones. I think we should be able to manage without getting at each other throats."

"Well, Chris thought that, too, when he left the two of you in charge of his ship," Leonard pointed out.

"Back then we didn't know each other," Jim waved it off, "now, though…" He shot Spock a rather suggestive look.

"Okay, okay, no details, please. I'll leave now. Come by for lunch tomorrow, or at least check in with us once during the day; otherwise I'll likely have to pluck Sarek, Chris _and_ Nyota off the wall."

"My father will contact me as soon as the healer arrives," Spock said. "I assume, there will be a ceremonial greeting at the residence. Taori is a highly honored member of the Vulcan community, but moreover, she is a distant relation of my father's first wife, and considering the state of affairs between Sarek and Saaravin, a meeting between members of our respective families would be delicate under any circumstances."

"Do you think she holds a grudge?" Jim asked. "Because of what happened between her… cousin and your father?"

"Actually, Saaravin would be closer to a niece of Taori, but the relationship is a bit more complicated than that and it seems strange to apply that term. And I do not think Taori capable of condemning my father for what happened between him and Saaravin, but she felt the repercussions of the rupture of their bond like everybody else in the family. Therefore, the meeting is going to be awkward at best."

"Great." Jim frowned. "Vulcan social structures seem to be a lot more complicated than I thought."

Spock smiled faintly at that. "The intricacies of our interpersonal relationships elude most members of other species," he admitted, "my mother used to complain that we were _'worse than a bunch of Scottish clans fighting their petty blood feuds'_. I should probably warn you – Taori will consider you a member of my family and treat you as such as long as the bond between us lasts."

"Is that Vulcan tradition, counting bondmates as family members? Maybe I should congratulate you on getting married then," Leonard mused.

"Whoa, slow down. We'll have to talk about this some more before I'll accept any good wishes." He turned to Spock, seeking his hand and lightly touching the smooth, warm skin with his fingertips. Again, the strange familiarity of the bond flooded his mind, wrapping him like a soft, thick blanket of interwoven emotions, memories, half-dreamed dreams…

_It is that serious, huh? _He said to Spock, who felt awed at the touch and the discovery of all it held, but at the same time worried and guilt-stricken. He should not have placed Jim in such a situation. He should never have allowed things to progress this far. He loved Jim, how could he thus endanger him?

_Hush. I don't want you to feel bad. It's not your fault._

Yes, it was his fault. Jim was just trying to make him feel better by saying that, which was very kind, but didn't alter the truth. Still, it sent a rich, golden wave of happiness and love trough the bond. Jim cared. Jim forgave. Jim loved.

_Of course I love you, silly. And I would demonstrate it, if I wasn't afraid of giving Bones a heart attack. Although he might learn something from watching…_

A new wave of emotions rolled ashore. Amusement. Excitement. Arousal. Thoughts Jim had entertained for a long while, but carefully kept hidden in the confines of his mind, and that were now emerging, waiting to become actions. Spock sensed a physical shudder running down his spine and he felt Jim's answering chuckle more than he heard it. The hospital, Leonard, everything seemed very far away.

_It… might be prudent to move this someplace less public_, Spock suggested, his mouth going dry with the promising allusions that short statement held.

Jim smiled. _I agree._

* * *

Clear morning sunlight flooding through a gap between the curtains woke him, but he was carried into the day on the gentle rhythm of slow, even breathing, of a steady heartbeat that had aligned itself perfectly with his own. Jim blinked, trying to shake of the last remnants of sleep, but the glorious feeling of being more than one, of the unity of two minds and bodies that fit together as if crafted from birth to do so, would not leave him.

Spock was wrapped around him, both mentally and physically, like a protective glove, shielding Jim from any unpleasantness that might threaten his well-being or worm itself into his thoughts. He was asleep, and his mind sent out a calm, gently lapping stream of emotions, like subdued colors.

Jim was unable to put into words or even thought what he felt, but he knew at that moment, knew with a fierce determination, that he was not prepared to give this up. He would allow no one, no Vulcan healer, no obnoxious family members (even though, to be fair, they all seemed supportive and surprisingly understanding), no Starfleet superiors to take away what they had.

_Whatever that may be. Love. The bond. The thing I don't understand._

He felt Spock stir, saw and felt the flow of colors change as his mind became conscious once again. It was a unique experience.

_Have I woken you with my ramblings?_

A low chuckle. _ In the most pleasant way imaginable. I felt a sudden surge of affection from you. Intermingled with a bit of possessiveness, though._

Jim grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, well, I may be getting ahead of myself here."

"You are not," Spock assured him, "for now, I am yours to claim, both by Vulcan law and the common law code of the Federation, since it recognizes Vulcan bonds as a legally binding form of union. A decision passed by the Federation High Court states that a bond has legal status, even if it has not been formally recognized by means of the appropriate ceremony. The Vulcan in question filed a lawsuit after being denied express leave in order to visit his bondmate at the colony when she was injured in an accident. He argued that such a treatment was discriminatory, as he would have been granted leave, had he been married by Earth law and that the actual ceremony was a mere formality having nothing to do with the actual fact of the union. "

"Spock, you are the only person in the universe capable of quoting legal decisions two minutes after waking up and while still curled around your new lover. You never cease to amaze me." Jim yawned and stretched, careful not to hit Spock with a foot or elbow. He turned to face the Vulcan and smiled. "Your hair looks cute, all messed up like that."

"Compliments to you then, since you are responsible for leaving it in such a state," Spock countered. "We should get up and dressed, for it will certainly not be long until my father will call for us."

"Morning person, aren't you?" Jim yawned again. "Right… Sarek. I almost forgot that we are at his house. Which is kind of weird, by the way."

"Not at all. Sarek has seen the nature of our bond and accepted it. To him, it is natural to consider you a part of the family, and therefore, it is natural that you should stay at his house, since he is the head of the family."

"And here I was thinking that Vulcans were actually prudes," Jim teased. "Because I am sure Sarek knows that we've been sleeping together… among other things."

Spock raised an eyebrow at him. "If he does, I can assure you that it does not concern or interest him. Vulcans are a lot less nosy about these things than humans. The only thing he probably concerned himself with was making sure that Delia would not walk in on us. He would not consider that to be… proper."

"Me neither," Jim agreed. "There's a limit to what little girls should know. Even though in this case, the little girl in question probably already knows way too much about the matter. Possibly even from bad personal experience. She never had a real childhood."

"You pity her."

"Of course I do. No one really knows what she's already been through, since she's reluctant to talk about it, but from all I gathered, her life has been pretty damn horrible until now. Abandoned by her mother, rejected by her family, sold as a slave… how much worse can it get? I'm glad Sarek sort of adopted her, maybe now she will at least have some semblance of a normal life."

"As the half-Orion granddaughter of Ambassador Sarek and Princess Saaravin (1) of Vulcan? Probably not. But my father will take good care of her."

"And Chris and Bones will be watching from the sidelines to be sure she has everything she needs. For some reason, Chris has taken a particular liking to her, and Bones supports his every whim, so she'll probably be spending a considerable amount of time with them. Plus, I think she and Jo hit off rather well yesterday."

"All in all, _'problem Delia' _appears to have resolved itself" Spock agreed.

"That only leaves the bond and all its implications, a pissed off ex-girlfriend and a child I never knew about to deal with," Jim said, sighing. "Wait – I did not actually tell you about that yet, did I?"

"You did not, but I assume that it was from lack of opportunity only. And I have known about David Marcus for a while. I was the first person Christopher called about it – right after conferring with Leonard, I suspect."

"I should have known," Jim said, shaking his head, "_of course_ he would go behind my back!"

"It was a reasonable course of action," Spock replied. "He thought you had known about your son all along."

"You do mind, don't you, Spock?" Jim asked anxiously, feeling disapproval seep through the bond.

"I am not… entirely happy about it," Spock admitted, "mainly because I have never been fond of Carol Marcus."

"You are _jealous!_" Jim cried out in surprise.

"Obviously. Why does that surprise you?"

"I don't know, I just… it's a bit much right now, you know? You. Us. The bond. Carol reappearing with a baby. I am… confused, I guess. I feel a bit lost." He leant his head against Spock's chest and felt the feathery soft touch of fingers combing through his hair.

"We'll figure it out," Spock said quietly. "Together."

"Carol will be spitting mad at me," Jim sighed.

"That is very probable, yes. I will prevent her from doing you any serious harm, but I do think that you deserve to get yelled at."

"I probably do."

* * *

_(1) It was said in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier that Sybok's mother was a Vulcan princess, but we never learned her name nor was it determined if Sarek had been married to her or not. Given Sarek's character though, I really can't see him having a one night stand or even a casual relationship with anyone, so I came up with the story about the broken bond. I feel that it makes more sense than to simply assume that Sybok's mother died conveniently before Sarek met Amanda._

_I'm back! Took me long enough, and I'm sorry you had to endure such a long wait, but other things kept me busy. Oh well. At least, the next chapter is already half written, so I will not make you wait that long again. As always, tell me what you think. By the way - is this still a K+ rating or should I move it to T?  
_


	16. Attachments

_Spock: "You came back for me."  
Jim: "You would have done the same for me."  
- Star Trek III: The Search for Spock -_

* * *

Healer Taori arrived about at midday and was greeted formally and ceremonially in the reception hall of Sarek's residence. She wore white, flowing robes decorated with embroidered patterns and symbols that seemed strange to Jim, but probably held a traditional meaning. Sarek, Spock and Delia were all clad in traditional robes as well, making Jim the only one who stood out. Even Delia with her pale green skin seemed to fit in better than he did.

The greeting was carried out in Vulcan, but Sarek soon switched languages for the sake of Jim, who had a good understanding of Vulcan, but still strained to keep up with the formal parlance, and Delia, who had just started to learn the first words of her paternal language.

Sarek introduced them, and Taori studied them with obvious interest. Jim could have sworn that he even heard her mouth a _'fascinating' _as Sarek elaborated on Delia's parentage. Taori held out a hand in a traditional gesture of greeting. "I am pleased to meet you, child of my blood," she said, her words accented but clearly understandable, "your grandmother was my relative and friend."

Which would explain why Sarek and she were acting so stiffly. Meeting your deceased friend's ex-husband after they had had a nasty divorce could not be pleasant in any culture.

Delia bowed her head in acknowledgement, repeating the gesture Taori had just performed.

_She's a fast learner,_ Jim said to Spock, _looks like she will have no trouble fitting in._

_Hopefully._

Taori now moved her attention from Delia to Jim and Spock. Her large, black eyes rested on Jim for a long moment, as if evaluating him. There was no way to tell from her physical appearance, but her eyes seemed old. Very old, very wise.

_She is older than your father, isn't she?_

_Many years older, yes. It is considered impolite to talk through the bond while in the company of others._

_Oh. Sorry._

_You are new to this and had no way of knowing._

"Captain James Tiberius Kirk. It is a pleasure to meet you, too. Please receive my heartfelt thanks for your part in the valiant attempt to save my planet, even if it proved to be unsuccessful." She paused but not long enough to give him a chance to answer. "And Spock. No pureblooded Vulcan has ever done more to preserve our race and the essence of our culture than you. Does that make you proud? For we, finally, are proud of you."

"I am… grateful for what I was able to do," Spock replied slowly, "but there are too many things I regret to feel truly glad about my deed."

Taori nodded, as if she understood. "Very well. I believe I was called here in my capability as a healer, not a counselor, though." She looked at Sarek. "Many years ago, you and Amanda called me to assess whether or not your son's mixed heritage could have an adverse effect on his telepathic abilities or his nature to bond with a partner later in life. It appears that your caution was not without reason."

Sarek nodded briefly.

Taori looked back at Jim and Spock. "It is not unheard of that a bond forms itself unconsciously," she told them, "even though such an event is not desirable. Albeit Spock has learned to compensate, his mixed heritage has him at a disadvantage when it comes to controlling his subconsciousness. So far, though, this wild bond, if we can call it such, appears to have no noticeable negative effects on either of you. That is most curious, but also promising. With your permission, I will investigate the matter further, but I propose that we retreat to more comfortable surroundings." She cast a glance at Delia. "I would also like to examine you, child, if you will allow me."

Delia seemed to be considering this for a moment. "Will it hurt?"

"No. I will do nothing you are not willing to let me do," Taori assured her.

Delia nodded reluctantly.

* * *

"I would ask you both to assume a comfortable position, as we might be here for a while," Taori told them when they had retreated to small sitting room on the first floor. Sarek and Delia were waiting in the next room, their voices only a quiet murmur through the closed door.

Jim looked at Spock, shrugged and sat down on one of the sofas grouped around a low wooden table. Spock moved to sit beside him.

"Take his hand," Taori advised Spock, who promptly followed her order. Jim felt the familiar tingle and the warmth of the bound spreading through his hand and encompassing him.

"Try to regulate his heart rate and breathing and calm them," Taori continued, still speaking to Spock.

"Wait… you can do that?" Jim asked, awed.

Spock nodded. "By aligning them with my own heart rate and breathing."

"It is a technique Vulcan bondmates use to meditate together," Taori added. "It will calm your mind, which will make it easier for me to enter."

"You will enter my mind?" Jim asked warily.

"Only the part of it you share with Spock. I need to, in order to assess the bond."

"Oh."

"It will not be painful," she assured him, "and I am sworn to secrecy by my oath as a healer."

Much like patient-doctor confidentiality, Jim assumed.

"Okay."

He felt the rhythm of Spock's breathing and slowly allowed himself to follow it. "You did this this morning," he realized. "Probably without even realizing it."

"Yes," Spock agreed. "Now be still."

Jim complied and tried to relax, and found it to be surprisingly easy as he followed Spock blindly.

"Good," Taori's voice was a quiet murmur, seemingly far away. "I will lay my hands on your shoulders now and join with you. It will feel unfamiliar, but do not be alarmed. If you feel any discomfort, tell me instantly."

Her hand came to rest on his shoulder, and a moment later, Jim felt a strange presence joining in with them. His mind seemed to recoil and reject the intruder, but he forced himself to stay calm. It did not actually hurt. It was merely uncomfortable and potentially embarrassing to have a stranger here.

"This is easier than I thought," the healer stated, sounding pleased. "You are doing fine."

Jim felt her stretch out and carefully explore the bond and wished that it was already over. He did not want her here. It was too private.

"Your sentiments are natural, but it will soon be over," Taori told him and continued to examine the bond. It felt as if she was taking it apart, layer by layer, but careful not to do any actual damage. Then all of a sudden, her presence was gone.

Jim opened his eyes to see her standing in front of them, her wise eyes looking down at them.

"I am surprised," she told them. "Even though the bond was formed unconsciously and without instruction or proper preparation, it seems to be intact and fully functioning. There are no obvious flaws about it. It goes surprisingly deep and it is well rooted on mutual understanding and tenderness. If left to fully develop itself, it will be as strong as could be wished of any purposefully formed bond."

Jim felt Spock's relief. "So neither of us is in any danger of losing his mind?"

"Absolutely not," Taori agreed. "And if you permit me to say so – you appear to be remarkably well suited. It is strange, but I do not think Spock could have made a better choice, had he been consciously looking for a partner."

"There you go," Jim said to Spock, "your subconciousness seems to have your best interests at heart."

"Indeed," Spock replied, sounding faintly amused, before turning back to Taori. "What would happen if we decided to break the bond?"

She looked surprised. "I would advise against it. Even though in this early stage, it would probably not cause much harm, it is highly unlikely that you will ever find a more compatible bondmate."

"That may well be, but I would like to give my bondmate a choice," Spock replied.

"I understand." She nodded. "At this stage, it can still be broken without too much of an effort. But do not leave your decision pending for too long."

"I don't want to break it off," Jim said to Spock as soon as Taori had left to examine Delia.

Spock turned to look at him, surprise visible in his eyes. "Jim… this is a serious decision."

"I agree. And I have already decided. I love you. I want to be with you. I want to keep this bond, it feels great." He knew that Spock would feel that he had meant every word of it.

A soft, sad smile touched Spock's lips. "I love you, too. But you also want to be a Starfleet captain…"

"Well of course I do, why are you… oh." Jim cursed himself as the realization hit him. "Regulations. Anti fraternization rules. Fuck, I forgot about that. Completely."

"I know," Spock said. "It comes down to a simple truth, Jim – you cannot be with me and at the same time be Captain. It would probably possible for us to be bonded and both continue to serve in Starfleet, but not in our present capacities and certainly not on the same ship."

"No way. I am _not_ leaving you or letting you leave! I don't want to, and it would moreover not benefit Starfleet. We are probably the best command team they've had since Pike and Number One went their separate ways."

"In that case, we will have to break the bond. Captain and first officer of the same vessel cannot be involved in a romantic relationship and that is essentially what being bonded means."

Jim chewed on his lower lip. "There's no loophole? No way around that regulation? I'll stand before a Starfleet tribunal if I have and if there's a chance we could win our case."

Spock shook his head. "Presently, I see no way around it, but we should probably take up the matter with Christopher. "

"Right. He used to be head of personnel deployment and he's probably given the matter some serious thought after he fell in love with Bones."

"I should think so. But frankly, right now I do not see how we could get away with it, Jim."

"We'll figure it out," Jim promised. "And after all… you of all people should know that I am willing to cheat in order to get where I want to."

* * *

They joined with Sarek, Delia and Taori for a late lunch on the terrace. While Spock and Sarek were explaining the components of the Vulcan meal to their young relative, who was staring suspiciously at the greenish-brown leaf-salad on her plate, Jim turned to the healer to quietly ask her how her conversation with Delia had gone.

"She has been hurt many times, but she is remarkably strong," Taori said. "I have no doubt that in time, she will overcome her past and grow up to be a very interesting person. She is highly intelligent and advanced for her age."

High praise from a Vulcan, Jim supposed.

"There is one thing that troubles me, though," the healer continued, "her mind, too, showed the traces of a bond beginning to form. Maybe it is a general condition in halfblood Vulcans that they are unable to control this part of their telepathic abilities, but I have too little evidence to support my theory. These two are among the first hybrids of our race that I have had a chance to study. Still it troubles me. In Spock's case, the bond he formed with you is healthy and appears beneficial to both of you, therefore it is no cause of concern. But Delia is a mere child. She should not even be able to form a bond, and it would likely go ill if left unsupervised. I therefore will talk to Sarek about blocking it. But first, I need to find out who the prospective bondmate is." She sighed. "That will not be easy. Delia herself is completely oblivious to what has happened, which is not surprising, given her age and upbringing."

"Maybe I can help you," Jim said, feeling sorry for Delia, who had enough on her plate already. "If it formed recently, there are not that many people who would be eligible."

"It appears to be a fairly recent development."

"Well, then it almost has to be somebody at the hospital, or one of the people she came in contact with after leaving it. That would be Sarek, Spock, Nyota Uhura, Christopher Pike, Leonard McCoy, Joana McCoy, Rebekka Roseleaf and me, unless Sarek has been throwing any dinner parties I don't know about."

"We can exclude Sarek, Spock and you yourself," Taori said. "I would have recognized either of you."

"For now, my money is on Chris Pike. He has been one of the first people she met after coming to Earth, and she likes him a lot. But that also means that this thing has to be stopped – he is old enough to be her father or even grandfather and married. Bones – Leonard – would have a fit if he learnt about this."

"It is not a man," Taori said quietly. "Delia is not exactly aware of this herself, but she is not attracted to men. It will probably be at least another three or four years until she realizes it, but her subconscious already knows."

"Oh." Jim said, for lack of anything better to say. "Well… that leaves Nyota, Rebekka and Jo. Rebekka could easily be Delia's grandmother, Nyota actually went to school with Delia's Mom and has no interest in women at all, and Jo is a thirteen year old girl, who only met Delia yesterday."

"Neither sounds like a good option, and Delia would be too young to form such an attachment in any case," Taori said. "I shall speak with Sarek."

"Poor Delia," Jim said. "Will blocking the bond hurt her?"

"No. If it is done right, she will not even feel it."

* * *

_Time to reply to some of those lovely reviews I got recently. I'm sorry that I don't have the time to reply to each one via individual message, but I hope you won't hold that against me. It doesn't mean that I don't appreciate them._

_Blip-Chan: I think I need to do something really nice for you one of these days. You're one of my most loyal reviewers. Got a story request? Anything you've always wanted to read but nobody has written yet?_

_LaurAmour: Thanks, you're absolutely right. It has to be "view" not "few". What a curious mistake to make. I guess it shows that I am an auditory learner, at least when it comes to languages. By the way, I decided to change the rating – just to be on the safe side…_

_T'Arrah: Interesting idea. You know, I've always been a bit squeamish about MPreg – my Mom is a midwife, so I have that little voice screaming in my head "Nooo! Not possible! You know how it works, and this isn't it!" At first, I didn't read MPreg stories at all. By now, though, I can live with them and actually enjoy some of them, but the only way I can accept MPreg is when there is either magic, or inexplicable alien technology (which, being inexplicable, would seem like magic) involved. I've never written a MPreg story myself, but I might do so one day. It's more likely to be a Harry Potter than a Star Trek fic, though… I'm still more comfortable with magic. As for this story – there's no way I could make this a MPreg, not after I've declared Spock infertile. I don't want Jim cheating on him, and the only other male/male couple in there would be Chris and Bones – and they are a bit too old and already have kids.  
Also: Spock is considering breaking the bond because – as he said – he'd like to give Jim a choice. I like my heroes noble and self-denying, you know ;)  
And yes, Jim knew about David. Chris told him in Chapter 10… Spock, on the other hand, knew before him, since he got the news in Chapter 2._

_IronSpockMaster: Is there anybody who's into this fandom and doesn't like Spirk? I mean, honestly, the pairing is almost canon (probably even more so than Spock/Uhura). You should be happy now – no breaking of the bond in sight ;)_


	17. Carol and David

After spending about six hours with her on the way to San Francisco, Carol was ready to strangle Peace Lafayette. The woman had been chatting and smiling all the way, probably in a genuine attempt to make Carol less nervous, but never mind her good intentions, it was unnerving. They had – or rather _Peace_ had – covered every topic from Carol's work to David's teething problems to Starfleet's current policy regarding the Romulans to Jim Kirk's unsuitability as a father.

"He's hardly more than a boy himself," Peace had said, with the sort of infuriatingly indulgent smile that made Carol want to smack her. "I will not dispute that he is an able captain, but where relationships are concerned…? Serious commitment issues. At least, when it comes to women. I think the only female entity he's committed to is his ship. He's slightly better with guys… I mean, he's great when it comes to Chris and Leonard, but they are family… then there's his somewhat strange relationship with Spock. I'm still not quite convinced they aren't secretly a couple, you know?"

Carol frowned. "What makes you say that?"

"Come on, you must have seen the hints, too." She was still smiling, damn the woman. "When I went skiing with them a couple of years ago, I was actually sleeping with Jim, but there were still moments when I felt like an intruder. At times, the tension between them was almost tangible. To be perfectly fair, though, Spock in a hot tub does make for a nice enough picture, so I can't really blame Jim…"

"I could." Carol said.

"Well, but you were seriously dating Jim," Peace pointed out. "To me it was just fun. A fling. Nothing more."

"I don't like being used as a plausible cover story," Carol replied harshly. "And I'm surprised that you don't seem to mind."

Peace cocked her head to the side. "I think our opinions on love and relationships are a bit different, though. I'm not set on being the one-and-only, forever after of the person I'm with. I don't insist on being loved passionately and monogamously. In fact, I think that love is too nice a thing to restrict by focusing it on one person exclusively and forever."

"That's a… very open-minded approach." There, she was being diplomatic, wasn't she? "Does your current crush share your views?"

Okay, so maybe that was mean. Peace's face fell, but it took her only a moment to pull the smiling mask back in place. Huh. Maybe there was more depths hidden behind that empty-minded smile than she had thought…

"No. I mean, Chris is one of the most loving, caring people I know, but he restricts the romantic form of love to a single person. He's head over heels with Leonard." The smile turned wistful. "You'll see what I mean when you meet them."

"I can hardly wait."

Somehow, Peace managed to ignore the sarcasm of that statement.

* * *

The house Peace let her to lay in a calm, residential neighborhood. Its front was covered in ivy and wines and it sported a small, well kept front yard with overflowing flower beds and a gravel path. A cat that had been dozing on the wooden porch raised its head at their arrival.

Peace rang the bell. Carol idly wondered what lay ahead of them. She could hardly see a couple of strangers welcome her and David to the family. Such things only happened in sappy comedies or soap operas, and her life certainly wasn't one of those.

The door swung open and a man appeared in its frame. He was wearing civilian clothing, but he could have been dressed up as a clown and Carol would still have recognized him as the high ranking Starfleet officer that he was. There was something in his bearing that radiated natural authority. Apart from that though, there was nothing remarkable about his appearance. He was of average height, lean and obviously in good shape, but far from stunning. His face was not unattractive, but not handsome either. Clear grey eyes, salt-and-pepper hair, and the many small lines and creases betraying his age. Then his smile broke, and suddenly, Carol could understand Peace's schoolgirl crush on Admiral Christopher Pike a bit better. It was a smile as genuine and expressive as Peace's own smiles were empty. His eyes sparkled. Laugh lines appeared around their corners and transformed his face, making him look younger and roguishly handsome.

"Admiral," Peace greeted him with mock sincerity, "I come bearing gifts." Carol watched her as she spoke, saw the hints of nervousness so carefully covered, the smile wavering slightly, the tension in her stance.

"You would have been welcome without those," he replied, "but I'm not surprised. Asking you for a small favor ultimately always leads to being presented with the entire problem solved and wrapped up nicely to be served on a silver platter."

Peace grinned, obviously happy with the compliment. "Your faithful servant."

"You're spoiling him," a second voice drawled behind Pike, "Not much longer, and he will come to expect the same sort of devotion from all of us."

As Peace broke out into gales of silvery laughter, Carol studied the man who had stepped out behind Pike and now stood beside him. She almost did a double-take. Apart from Jim Kirk, this was quite probably the hottest guy she had met in the past few years. Admittedly, hot guys were sort of scarce in her department, but Carol _did_ go out occasionally. She could have fully understood if Peace had had a crush on this one, because, holy cow, he was simply gorgeous.

And quite obviously taken.

She watched as Pike turned to shoot him an amused look and their gazes locked for a moment. It was brief, but it was enough. This guy was lost to the world, no matter how many slobbering female (and possibly male) admirers would throw himself at him.

Peace chose that moment to perform overdue introductions. "Carol, Admiral Christopher Pike and Dr. Leonard McCoy. Chris, Leonard, Carol Marcus. And David Marcus," she added with a knowing smile.

Two sets of eyes, one grey, the other a stormy shade of blue, focused on her and David. More on David than on her, actually.

McCoy raised his brows. "Well, I'll be damned," he drawled. "You were right. He does look like Jim."

Pike ignored the comment, possibly because he thought that this was not the time for _I-told-you-sos_.

"I am pleased to meet you," he said, his smile a little more guarded, but still warm and friendly, "both of you."

Well, what did you reply to that…? She hadn't wanted to come. She hadn't wanted to meet them. Peace had positively dragged her here.

"I…"

"Jim is not here," McCoy informed her with a wink. "And if he turns up, I'll have Joana show you her secret passageway."

"Leonard," Pike chided mildly, before turning back to Carol with an apologetic look. "Maybe we should step inside," he suggested.

Carol felt slightly uncomfortable, almost like an intruder into their home, but now that she was here, she might as well go through with it. She didn't like to do things by halves, neither regarding her work, nor in private. And so far, neither McCoy nor Pike looked as if they held anything but a friendly interest for her and David. They were certainly not about to bite off her head.

As they stepped into the house, Pike led the way with a happily prattling Peace at his side. Carol followed and McCoy softly closed the door behind her. She could have sworn that she caught him sending Peace an odd look, something of a mixture between annoyance and amusement.

Ah. So he knew. It didn't seem to bother him very much, though, because he obviously put up with her without feeling threatened. Well, from everything she had seen so far and that Peace had told her, he had every reason to feel perfectly secure and relish the fact that he was loved and cherished beyond anything and anyone else.

The house was large, comfortably furnished and for all appearances, it looked like a place for a family to live in. It occurred to Carol that Pike at least was old enough to have a whole litter of children from one or even several earlier relationships. Peace hadn't mentioned it, though.

Pike led them through the living room and out onto a terrace that overlooked a gently sloping lawn. Nothing in the front appearance of the house had betrayed the large backyard, but it was there, spacious, well-kept and green. A hammock hung between two large trees, a second cat sat at a goldfish pond, its tail twitching excitedly as it stared into the water, and on the lawn, two girls were engaged in a badminton match, while a third was climbing the cherry tree.

At their arrival, two blond heads and a dark one turned and the match stopped as both girls came to greet them. The little girl in the tree rushed to follow them, but slipped, and her intended jump turned into an awkward scramble and ultimately, a fall.  
"Ow!"  
"Freya?" McCoy asked, quickly moving to her side. "Are you alright?"

"Stupid tree!" The little girl fumed, wiping tears from her eyes with one hand and holding her knee with the other.. "I hurt my knee."  
"Let me see." He bent down to examine it.

"Is she okay?" The oldest girl asked.

"It's just a scab. I'll take care of it."

"Daddy, can I help?" The dark haired girl asked eagerly. "I can heal her!"  
"There won't be much healing needed for this, but yes, you can, Jo." He smiled, then hoisted the squealing child up on his hip. The tears made way for a grin. "We can play hospital!" Freya said.

"Well, you've got a doctor and a nurse alright," Pike commented.

"Make that two nurses," the oldest girl said, following McCoy and the other two as they made their way back inside.  
"Oh, so now you're into medicine, too, Elva?" Pike asked her, smiling. "Your Mom will be happy to hear that. She was worried you would end up in deep space."  
Elva stuck out her tongue at him.

Pike chuckled to himself, before turning back to Carol and Peace.

"Your daughters?" Carol asked.

He shook his head. "Only Joana. Elva and Freya are my nieces." He waved his guests to a table on the terrace and they settled into comfortable lawn chairs.

"Joana has grown quite a bit since I last saw her," Peace commented.

"That's what little girls do," Pike replied. "Personally, I'm still surprised every time I look at my little sister and realize that she's not a child anymore but a Starfleet officer and mother of three. "

"You seem to have an all Starfleet family, Admiral." Carol noted.

"Well… now that you mention it…" He smiled. "And it's Christopher or Chris, while I'm off duty."

"Duly noted."

Pike leant back in his chair, but his eyes were still fixed on her and on David in her lap. "It's perhaps a good thing that Leonard took the girls inside," he said thoughtfully, "Joana doesn't know yet. About you and David, I mean."

"Who does, then?" Carol asked, a little sharper than she'd intended.

"Leonard and I, obviously. Jim does, too, because I judged it fair to let him know… _and_ I wanted to have a heart-to-heart on paternal responsibilities with him. The fourth person knowing about it would be Spock."

"Because Jim told him," Carol implied acidly.

"No, actually _I _did. I wanted information about you, and he was the only person other than Peace that I could ask. I couldn't very well ask Jim, because at the time I suspected him of having known about David all along."

"I can assure you, he didn't. I made sure of that," Carol replied, tight-lipped.

"I understand that you're angry with him," Pike said, "and I don't know what has passed between the two of you, even though I can imagine it. I will not meddle in that. But I was nevertheless curious to meet you and your son and I think you should give David and Jim a chance to get to know each other. Every child should at least get to meet both parents. Jim never met his father, and he was affected by that… and not in a positive way, mind you."

"Is that why you adopted the brat?" Carol asked spitefully.

Peace grinned.

"It's one of the reasons. Jim spent most of his teenage years looking for a father figure. I, in turn, knew at a certain point in my life that I was never going to have a son. It was a good match. Besides, I love the brat." He smiled. "Even though I won't argue that he's a horrible nuisance."

He really made it difficult for her to keep up her hostile demeanor. His smile and tone were friendly, understanding, disarming. Carol grudgingly had to admit that she was starting to like Christopher Pike, no matter how much she resented the feeling. David appeared to share her sentiments. He had kept quiet so far, looking about him with large, curious eyes, but like most children his age, he reacted to somebody smiling at him. And his reaction just so happened to be a big, toothless grin.

Pike laughed in obvious delight and leant forward.

"Remind you of somebody?" A dry voice asked behind Carol's back. She turned her head to see that McCoy had returned and was watching his husband and the baby. "He's not two years old and he already knows how to charm people out of their wits. If I ever had any doubts about his paternity, they are gone now."

He walked to over to stand beside Pike's chair and studied the exchange between him and David, who had now gripped his hand and was studying it with all the intense curiosity of a scientist.

"I probably should have warned you," he said to Carol. "Chris has a tendency to adopt and mother everybody who crosses his path. Well, except for badass Klingons and Romulan madmen. But I swear he'll even go paternal on _Spock_."

"And whyever not?" Pike asked, shooting him an amused look. "Besides, you're exaggerating. As always."

McCoy huffed something that sounded too affectionate to be an insult, placed a hand on his husband's shoulder and asked: "So… what now?"

_Good question_, Carol thought.


	18. A Family Meeting

_"Unhappy me! Remind me not of him:_  
_ Tell me of all the torturing pangs of conscience,_  
_But speak not, I implore you, of my father!"_

_- Friedrich Schiller, "Don Carlos"_

* * *

_It was time for Schiller again... ;) The quote may be a bit melodramatic, but that's Schiller for you... if you think that Jim's got Daddy issues, read "Don Carlos". Carlos' Dad not only believes his son wants to steal his crown, but he also marries the woman junior's in love with and tries to corrupt his best friend. The end is classic Schiller - everybody ends up either dead or permanently unhappy._

* * *

"Bones told us to check in with them, remember?" Jim said to Spock as they approached the house. "He said it was for Sarek's, Nyota's and Chris' sake, but I suspect it was more about _his_ worries than theirs… after all, we've already seen quite a bit of your father today, Nyota hasn't even called and Chris probably knows that we couldn't get into a whole lot of trouble here."

"I am quite convinced he would violently object to that assumption," Spock replied, sounding amused. "I think he has sat through enough disciplinary hearings and at inquests to know that _you_ at the very least could get in trouble anywhere."

"Hey! It's not exactly my fault. Trouble usually finds me, not the other way round!" He rang the old-fashioned bell and listen to the familiar, cheerful chime. "Besides, I've got you to rescue me, haven't I?", he added in an afterthought.

"Keeping the Captain alive _is_ part of a first officer's job description," Spock agreed.

Jim was about to make a sly comment, when the door opened and Leonard stepped out.  
"Jim. Spock." He frowned-

"Hi, Bones. You don't look particularly happy to see us. We didn't interrupt anything… did we?" The accompanying grin left no doubts as to what the question hinted at.

Leonard rolled his eyes. "It's not that. We have guests, though."

"And they aren't presentable?" Jim assumed. "You asked us to come, remember?"

Leonard sighed. "Yes, but… never mind. Come in. We might as well get the family reunion over with."

"What, another one?"

Leonard nodded. "This time, though, it's not _'meet the parents' _but _'meet the kids'_. Or rather, kid. Carol and David Marcus are here."

"Oh." Well, wasn't that thrilling. Jim looked at Spock, who offered a nod of encouragement, but little else. He'd have to figure this one out for himself. Huh.

"Bones… what do you say to an ex-girlfriend who's the mother of your child?" Jim asked, only half joking, hating the feeling of insecurity that had taken hold of him.

"How about _'sorry, I've been a complete asshole'_?" Leonard suggested.

"Bones! You're not helping. Besides, it was her fault, too."

Leonard shrugged. "Just be honest with her."

"Er… I somehow doubt that _'I'm sorry, but I still think you're a bitch' _would go down well."

"Okay, maybe not _that_ honest…"

* * *

Carol had not changed, and maybe that was the greatest surprise, apart from the little boy in her lap. Chris had temporarily managed to snatch him from her, but as soon as Jim had entered the room, she had reached for him, pulling him close. A lioness protecting her young.

Jim stared at her, unsure what to say or do. She looked… well. Maternity had apparently not changed her, nor had the passing of almost two years. This was Carol as he had known her, tall, slender, her curly blond hair cut right below the ears, her gaze alert and scrutinizing as ever.

"Jim Kirk," she said drily, "and Spock."

Nope, no friendly feelings there. Carol had always been an expert at making it clear what she thought of someone without losing many words.

Jim realized that everybody, even the baby, was staring at him. They expected him to say something.

Well…

"Carol… uh… what a surprise to see you here." Seated between her and Chris was Peace Lafayette. Yet another ex-girlfriend, albeit one who had no reason to harbor any bad feelings. From the self-satisfied look on her pretty face, it was clear who had initiated this meeting.

His eyes traveled back to the baby. Cute kid, he noted absentmindedly. Big blue eyes, blond hair, chubby face – quite the little angel, really. And then it hit him with the force of a lightning bolt.

_That's my kid. My son._

A feeling of awe took hold of him. Rationally, he had known about David, but he hadn't accepted his existence emotionally. Not until now.

_I am a father. This is my son._

Somebody patted his shoulder, and as he tore his gaze from David, he looked into Chris' face. A faint smile played around the lips of his adoptive father. "Small steps, Jim."

Indeed.

"Why don't we all sit down?" Leonard suggested, waving at the chairs.

"I'll take my leave," Peace said, getting up. "I think this should be a family thing. Lunch tomorrow, anyone?"

"I'll call you," Chris said, before adding: "And thank you… for everything."

She smiled wistfully. "Anytime…"

With Peace gone, Carol was the only woman seated at the table and it suddenly occurred to Jim what an odd sort of family meeting this was. _What's happening to me?_ he wondered. _A week ago, I was a single man with a tremendous crush on my first officer and no hopes of ever catching his eye. Now he's my bondmate and I'm supposed to be a father…_

"Oh, don't just sit there gaping at me!" Carol said irritably. "We both know that we'd have been happy to never see each other again, but unfortunately, _your family_ decided to meddle." She shot Chris and Leonard a poisonous look.

Jim turned to look at them, too. He had already suspected that they were behind all this, it was just the sort of meddlesome, parenty thing they'd do… he raised his brows at Chris, who shrugged in return, seeming unperturbed.

"Guilty as charged," Bones stated. "And I won't even say we were acting in your best interest."

"Well now, that's a relief," Jim threw in sarcastically.

"Because really, this isn't just about you, or the two of you," Bones continued, nodding in Carol's direction. "It's about David, too, or maybe most of all. Every child should get a chance to meet both his or her parents. Losing a parent is bad enough, but never knowing them is even worse. Jim, you of all people should know that."

"Oh?" Jim had always hated those allusions to his father, especially when they were being used against him. Anger at Bones, who was being so goddamn presumptuous right now, welled up in his chest. Spock raised an inquiring eyebrow, but Jim was not in the mood to discuss his feelings with somebody who usually pretended to have none.

"We thought that one boy growing up in the shadow of a hero he never met, always trying to compete with a father he never knew, was enough," Chris said softly.

"Everybody has issues with their father," Jim snapped, "and he doesn't have to be dead or unknown for that. In fact, I happen to know that one of you is still blaming himself for his father's death, while the other didn't talk to his old man for six damn years, because Daddy disapproved of his relationship with another guy."

"They are both dead, though," Bones deadpanned. "And you are perfectly right – parents, whether dead or alive, are a pain in the ass. On the other hand, they are also the people who raise you, teach you, bake you chocolate cakes for your birthday, rush to the hospital when you are injured, comfort you when you're heartbroken, organize your wedding, babysit your kids and tell you when you are being an idiot. Because that's what family's for, Jim. It's like a safety net. And no matter how weird you think those people are – and some of them are pretty weird, I think everybody has their share of crazy relatives – there will be a day when you'll be glad to have them. "

Jim looked from him to Chris and back. "I think the two of you are about as weird as it gets," he said. "Just what is it with you? Do you absolutely have to save everybody who crosses your path? Is that, I don't know, some sort of compulsion?" He shook his head, unsure whether he was feeling vexed, amused or touched by their insistence.

Bones frowned. "Ungrateful brat", he growled, but there was an undeniable trace of fondness in his voice, "I swore an oath when I became a doctor and another one when I entered Starfleet. Chris swore the Starfleet oath and assumed certain obligations when he became your father."

"Just face it Jim – you're stuck with us. And when it comes to meddling, I might add that none of us would be sitting here if _you_ hadn't chosen to meddle in the first place," Chris added with a twinkle in his eye.

"I knew that one act of kindness would come back to haunt me," Jim groaned. "Spock, you should have warned me. You should have told me that while either of them alone was already insufferable, the two of them together would be unbearable."

Spock considered this for a moment, before cocking his head to the side and replying: "Well, Jim, I assumed you would know that one plus one equals two."

Bones chuckled at that, and a grin spread over Chris' face. Even Carol snorted. "I didn't know Vulcans had a sense of humor."

"He's only half Vulcan," Jim replied sourly. "Why is everybody having fun at my expense?"

"Because you're being an idiot," Bones answered promptly.

"Oh, shut up." He looked over at Carol. "Now that you've met them – why aren't you running to the far end of the galaxy yet? You are about to be assimilated."

"I would run, if I thought it'd help," she stated. "Moving on to more important things though – I hope none of you is expecting me to start liking the idea of having Jim back in my life anytime soon. I can probably stand you if I have to and I might even agree to spending time with you on a regular basis for David's sake – because I'm sure as hell not leaving you alone with my baby – but I'm not thrilled about it, nor will I ever be."

"Gee, Carol, aren't you charming," Jim replied thinking _bitch, you just had to say that, didn't you? _"I'm surprised you could resist the urge to hit me."

"Tempting, Jim, very tempting, but it wouldn't do to let David see that. Speaking of which – you and I are going to have a conversation about appropriate behavior around children. You might want to take notes. Or better yet, I'll write the primary rules down for you."

"There's a prime directive for dealing with infants?" Jim asked sarcastically.

"Yep. It goes as follows: Don't let them see, hear or do anything interesting," Bones said, grinning. "A child with a paint pot is more dangerous than a horde of enraged Klingons."

"Speaking from experience, I see," Carol acknowledged the comment, "though I wasn't exactly talking about paint pots."

"Oh, I know you weren't," he replied nonchalantly, "so does Jim, I think."

"Are you actually blushing?" Chris asked, leaning in for a closer look. Mirth sparkled in his lively grey eyes.

"And well he should be," Spock murmured.

_Fie, Jim! If you ever say anything like that out loud, I shall have to use the nerve pinch on you… before you actually get a chance to say it. My father would be scandalized._

Jim couldn't help himself, he had to snort with laughter at the idea of Sarek… anyway… _You know I'd never say something like that out loud. She just… got me thinking. _He smirked. _Do take it as a compliment._

"Having a private little chat there?" Bones asked. "That's not very polite, kids."

"Bones, when Chris adopted me I promised never to call you _'Mom'_. I take that back now. If you go all parental on me, it's only fitting."

"God help me."

"He's right, though," Carol said, "You're just about the strangest family I've ever met, but the roles are clear. One set of parents, and two kids. And I'm guessing, Spock is to be the happy son-in-law."

"Technically, he already is," Chris said, "And of course, I wasn't even invited."

"Since there was no ceremony, it would have been difficult to pass out invitations," Spock pointed out. "However, I seem to recall that you gave your blessing."

"And I meant it, Spock."

"He just regrets not getting to see you in a pretty Vulcan wedding dress – pardon, robe," Bones added, grinning.

"Charming," Carol said drily. "So, where does that leave me? The evil ex?"

"You don't look particularly evil to me," Chris said after studying her for a moment.

"There are some benefits to being the strangest family on the planet," Bones said, "You can be an honorary daughter in law. Gender balance is a bit off anyways, so it really wouldn't hurt."

Jim was certain that Carol would flat-out refuse this somewhat ridiculous notion, but she surprised him. After looking round the table thoughtfully, she cocked her head and replied: "I'll think about it."

_I'm not sure I like the sound of that_, Jim said to Spock.

_Be fair, Jim. Compromises will have to be made at some point._

_Says the guy who wanted to shoot her. Or poison her. Or choke her to death._

_I am not proud of that._

_But you still dislike her_, Jim pointed out.

_That is irrelevant. She is no longer a threat._ The smug satisfaction that came with that statement surprised Jim, but it also warmed his heart.

* * *

_Sorry it took me so long to update. Writing that meeting between Carol and Jim turned outr to be trickier than I had anticipated. For those of you who don't like Carol - don't worry, they're not going to adopt her ;) _


	19. Wedding Plans

_- "The music at a wedding procession always reminds me of the music of soldiers going into battle." -_

_Heinrich Heine_

* * *

"So… that was Carol Marcus," Chris said thoughtfully when all their guests had left the house that evening. Leonard and he had moved to the comfortable couch in the living room. From upstairs came the hushed sounds of running water and of Joanna singing in the shower.

Leonard took a sip of Bourbon before putting down his glass on the low wooden table and leaning back. Chris felt his warm body, heavy, familiar, and comforting. "You had met her before, hadn't you?" he asked.

Leonard nodded. "When Jim was still dating her. Twice, I think. I never really warmed up to her, though. She's… bossy. Reminds me too much of Jocelyn, I suppose."

Chris chuckled. "You know, I'm starting to see a pattern here. Both you and Jim went from a difficult wife or girlfriend to a man after a nasty separation. Interesting, isn't it?"

"Maybe so, but Jim went from a bossy girlfriend to a bossy boyfriend – bondmate, whatever -, while I learned my lesson and went with the easier option the second time."

"Oh, so I'm easy to handle? I'm not sure that's a compliment," Chris teased.

Leonard shrugged. "It's what you make of it."

"Mhm," Chris replied, raising a hand to stroke through Leonard's dark hair.

"What do you think of her?" Leonard asked.

"Carol? She's… cautious."

"That's a very nice way of putting it. I hope she'll loosen up a bit. I don't expect her to become best friends with Jim – I know very few former couples who are on friendly terms, in fact, I think Spock and Nyota are the only one – but I'd hate to see her make life difficult for him. And then there's David… children are always the ones who suffer most from their parents' separation."

Chris caught the trace of regret in his voice and drew an arm around him. "Joanna would never blame you for anything. I think she's as happy as any child her age could be."

"Maybe, but that's not the point."

"I've been meaning to talk to Jim again. He's still confused and doesn't quite know how to handle the situation, and that's understandable. But I think he'll do everything in his power to make his relationship with David _and_ Carol work. Maybe that means making a few concessions, but I think today went well… it was a promising beginning. Carol isn't a bad person, she's just suspicious and afraid to get hurt… again." He paused a moment, before asking: "Do you know what happened to her family?"

Leonard shook his head. "Not precisely. I heard that her parents were settlers in a colony. When Carol was fifteen, she and her older brother were sent to a boarding school on Earth. Carol finished high school and got a scientific scholarship. According to Jim, the colony was hit by an earthquake, and Carol's parents were among the victims. Her brother had been visiting them, and he, too, died."

Chris nodded slowly. "Figures. She is trying to push everyone away as fast as she can, for fear of losing somebody again, and at the same time she longs for people she can trust and confide in… friends, family, anything. You almost got her with that daughter-in-law comment."

"I guess those psychology classes they made me take at the Academy finally come in handy," Leonard replied. "I have a feeling that knowing how to push Carol's buttons will be quite useful in the future. Even though I´d really rather not adopt her. I don't know, but for some reason, I vastly prefer Delia."

"You'd have to fight Sarek for her," Chris said with a smile. "He seems rather taken with her."

"And that surprises you? She's his only grandchild. Don't tell me you're not absolutely smitten with David already."

Chris laughed. "Well… he _is_ adorable."

Leonard shifted his weight and yawned. "All babies are. I suppose even Spock was adorable as a child."

"Tiny pointy ears and all…? Oh, I'm sure. We should ask Sarek for baby pictures."

"Spock would probably murder you, if you did… Jim would have the time of his life, though."

"Speaking of Jim and Spock… there'll be fireworks once the admiralty learns of their bonding."

"I suppose simply not telling those stuffy bureaucrats about it is not an option?"

"Are you calling me a stuffy bureaucrat?" Chris asked in mock outrage, before adding in a more serious tone of voice: "Can you see Jim keeping a secret of this magnitude from his crew?"

Leonard sighed. "No. Spock maybe, but Jim…? No, I guess not. Still… I don't see why Starfleet should get to mess with that relationship. Sure, it's a breach of regulations. So what? Jim's been in love with Spock for the past two years, possibly even longer, and no harm has come off it. It won't change that much, now that he's aware of it."

"Probably not, but trying to get the admiralty to believe that is another matter."

"I have the utmost faith in you," Leonard said after a moment's reflection.

Chris sighed. "Great. That makes one of us."

* * *

"I swear, this is going to be the wedding from hell," Jim groaned, looking up from a stack of invitation cards.

"It's not a wedding," Chris corrected him gently. "We are simply having a party in your honor and Spock's. You know, a family thing."

Jim snorted. "Yeah, right. Who do you think you're kidding?"

"My fellow admirals," Chris replied earnestly. "Jim, I told you I'd try to find a way to help you, but you've got to admit that it goes against both regulations and common sense. Your average Starfleet bureaucrat is going to balk at the thought of having two people as deeply involved as you are commanding the flagship. I'm trying to convince people that it's not necessarily a bad thing, and there are some that don't need convincing – Rebecca, for example. But for most of them it's a huge leap of faith."

"They are hopelessly old-fashioned."

Chris shook his head. "It's not about being old-fashioned. In fact, it all comes down to a very simple question: If you had to choose between the ship's safety and Spock's, what would you do? If you had to endanger _Enterprise_ in order to save him, would you do it? Would you risk the lives of your crew for Spock's?"

Jim looked at him with a stunned, almost hurt expression on his face. "Chris…" He paused and it was a long moment before he regained his composure. "That was three questions," he said in a wry attempt at humor.

"You know what I mean. And I am dead serious, Jim. Starfleet will ask you those questions, and it will ask Spock some very similar things. And do you know your reply?"

"There could never be any question about that."

"Oh? Because I wouldn't trust myself if Leonard's life was in danger. I would give a lot, including my own life, in order to save him. But more importantly, I would probably give other people's lives, too. I hope that assumption will never be put to the test, but there's more than one reason why I retired from active duty, and my health wasn't the main focus."

"You wanted to be with Bones, I understand that, but Spock and I…"

"No, Jim," Chris replied firmly, "it was a lot more than that. When I fell in love with Leonard, I knew that I was emotionally compromised, to use that lovely Vulcan term. I knew, so I made sure we would never be in a position where my feelings for him could interfere with my actions as a Starfleet officer. I was scrupulously careful, and look how well it served me. That whole business about my quitting my post and going to Romulus, only to abort the mission when I was already halfway there…? Highly unprofessional. Luckily, it didn't have any adverse effects, neither on other people nor on diplomatic relations between the Federation and the Empire, but that doesn't excuse my lack of objectivity."

"You can hardly take all the blame for that. I had a hand in it, too. And I think you're being too harsh on yourself. Even as Starfleet officers, we're still entitled to a little humanity, aren't we?"

"Of course we are, but you do realize what I'm trying to tell you, don't you?"

Jim smiled. "You're doing it again."

"What?"

"Teaching."

"Well, I believe that's part of my job, Jim," Chris replied.

"So, what do you propose we do about it?"

"About what?"

"My emotional entanglement with Spock. I can't disentangle it, but I can't give up _Enterprise_ either."

"In that case, we have to come up with a few very convincing arguments, and quite probably, a couple of lies."

"I'm shocked. Are you suggesting that we lie to the Admiralty?" Jim grinned.

"Parts of it, anyway. The fact that none of them knows how a Vulcan bond really works should work in your favor… if Sarek is willing to go along with our story."

"As far as Sarek is concerned, the bond is a very private matter, so he would certainly not discuss it in public. I'm starting to like him, you know."

"Good. Sarek is a valuable ally, if nothing else. Besides, Spock highly respects his father."

"They're constantly fighting," Jim protested, only to amend: "Well, as much as Vulcans ever do."

"Many fathers and sons do, and particularly when they are as strong-willed as Sarek and Spock."

"Don't you mean _'stubborn'_?" Jim asked with a faint smile.

"I was trying to be nice."

"Ah." They were quiet for a moment; Jim still leafing through the invitation cards, while Chris was staring outside, his gaze travelling across the lawn. Joanna was busy explaining one of her grand schemes to Delia and Elva, who still seemed a bit dubious, excitedly gesticulating with both arms.

"At least somebody is having fun," Jim said. "Jo should be a wedding planner or a Starfleet captain. She's doing a tremendous job ordering people around and devising elaborate plans." He paused, studying the group of girls for a moment. "She and Delia are getting along well, aren't they?"

"They are equally impressed with each other," Chris replied. "No matter which one you talk to at the moment, it's all _'Did you know that Delia has…?' _and _'Joanna said that…'_."

"But that's good, isn't it? Delia could use a friend her age." He wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that Delia had unconsciously begun to form a bond with Jo. Taori, after performing some additional tests, had determined her as the intended bondmate, but assured Sarek that breaking the tentative link would cause no harm to either of the girls. She seemed intrigued by the entire matter. Apparently, the rare opportunity to study two Vulcan crosses and their telepathic abilities had sparked her scientific interest, and on Sarek's invitation, she stayed longer than originally intended. Which reminded him…

"We should invite Taori."

"The Vulcan healer?" Chris asked.

Jim nodded. "She's not a relative of Spock, but I think Sarek would appreciate the gesture."

"It's your party, Jim," Chris replied, shrugging.

"Held at _your_ house," Jim pointed out.

"Which is large enough to host quite a few people. By the way, have you seen Nyota? Joanna insists that she agreed to help her with the decorations and was rather put out when she didn't show up today."

"I think she's with Sarek… they're spending an awful lot of time together, lately, if it wasn't _Sarek_ of all people, I'd say they are plotting something. But as it is, Nyota is probably just brushing up on her Vulcan. And they've always liked each other. I believe Sarek was more disappointed than Nyota herself when she and Spock broke up." He shrugged.

"Well, who wouldn't want their son to marry Nyota? If the two of you weren't so totally unsuited to each other, I wouldn't mind it either. While we're at it… are you inviting Carol?"

"Do I have a choice?" Jim asked wryly.

"Will you hate me if I say 'no'?"

"Well, then it's settled. I guess I'll just have to invite Peace, too, so she can keep Carol out of my hair."

"I have a feeling Carol doesn't particularly like Peace."

"What a shame. Carol doesn't particularly like anybody."

"Be fair, Jim. I'll keep Carol away from you, if you want to, but you could at least try to be civil."

"Alright, alright. I'll play nice. Happy?"

"Almost."

* * *

Joanna's first party proved a tremendous success, and the over-excited little organizer basked in everybody's compliments… until Jim scooped her up, threw her across his shoulder and proclaimed that he would force her to dance with her older brother, which led to protesting squeals from Joanna and a round of giggles from the other girls. In the end, Jim danced not only with Jo, but also with all three of Laurel's daughters, Laurie Reed, Delia, Peace and Nyota. In fact, the only person he didn't dance with was Spock, who wore such a horrified expression at the mere suggestion of it that Jim decided to have mercy on him.

He also refrained from dancing with Carol, because really, he wanted to survive this evening with all his limbs still attached. Still, you had to give it to Carol that she was surprisingly civil and apart from one or two sly comments didn't bother him at all. She even hesitatingly raised her glass to him and Spock. Jim supposed that if she kept it up, they could probably learn to live with each other.

David, on the other hand, was delightful and had soon gathered a large circle of cooing admirers around him.

"You'll have to watch out," Leonard jokingly told Carol, "before the night's out, somebody is likely going to try and steal him." At first, Carol looked somewhat alarmed at that idea, but then realizing that he was joking, she tentatively smiled.

Meanwhile, Chris felt a small hand tugging him away from the crowd. "What is it, Delia?" He asked surprised.

The girl wore an expression that undulated between worry and guilt. "I… think I need to tell you something."

"I'm listening, " Chris replied. "Is it a secret?" He couldn't imagine that it was anything serious, but decided to humor her.

"Sort of. Did Jim tell you, that when Taori checked him and Spock, she also tested me?"

"No. Is everything alright?"

"Not… quite. Taori said that I couldn't control my telepathic abilities yet."

"Ah, so you did inherit them from your father."

Delia nodded. "She said that I'll be a strong telepath one day, but that I need a lot of training. Sarek will see to that… but, you know, I can't control them yet, and when I still didn't know I had them, something happened…"

She looked as if she had committed some sort of nefarious crime, and Chris was almost tempted to smile, but forced himself to keep a straight face.

"Taori says, I formed a bond."

Okay, so maybe not a crime, but this was more serious than he'd thought. "With whom?", he asked, in a sharper tone than he'd intended.

Delia looked down at the grass. "Joanna," she murmured. "But I swear I didn't mean to! It… it just happened… I mean, I like her, and she's nice and all, but I really didn't want to… you know…"

_Oh_. Well, wouldn't Leonard be thrilled to hear that…! Chris decided in a flash that while he loved his husband, this was one of the things he had probably better try to keep from him. For now, he had to console Delia, who felt bad about something that wasn't really her fault.

"I'm sure you didn't mean to," he comforted her. "Does Joanna know…?"

Delia looked up. "No, of course not. It would be… no, I can't tell her."

Chris was silently relieved. "Was Taori able to do anything about it?"

Delia nodded. "She blocked the bond. She said it would do no harm… but she also said that I had to tell Joanna's parents. I couldn't tell Leonard…"

… _wise choice_, Chris silently congratulated her.

"… so I told you."

"It's okay, Delia." He put an arm around her. "It seems that no harm was done, and it wasn't your fault, so you don't need to feel bad about it."

Delia's face brightened a little. "So you aren't angry with me?"

"No."

"But you know that… when Joanna and I are older… probably…" She blushed and broke off.

Chris was torn between amusement and annoyance. Yet another thing he'd have to deal with… on top of Jim, Spock and the admiralty and Carol and David…

"Let's not worry about that right now, shall we? We'll let it rest at least another four or five years… please."

Delia looked up at him and smiled hesitatingly. "Okay." It sounded relieved.

* * *

THE END

* * *

_Yep, it's over… finally. Took me long enough and I decided to end the story at this point, in order to leave some things up to your imagination. I'm already in the process of writing a prequel to "Distant Closeness" called "Bittersweet Remedy". It will cover the events right after the Narada incident and focus mainly on Leonard and Chris. I will also embark on a revision of "Distant Closeness" and "Family Matters", I need to make a few minor changes and correct some mistakes. If there's anything bugging you about those two stories or if you've caught any mistakes, now would be a good time to tell me ;)_

_I also need to give thanks, hugs and kisses to all my faithful reviewers. I love you all to pieces! Please keep reading and reviewing my stories, it makes me so happy to read what you think about them!_


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